I’m looking at my Google Analytics data and I keep seeing two specific sources showing up in my acquisition reports: com.google.android.feedback and com.android.vending.
I already figured out that com.android.vending means people downloaded my app from the Google Play Store. That part makes sense to me.
However, I’m completely puzzled about what com.google.android.feedback actually represents. Where do these users come from? Is this related to some kind of feedback system or user reviews? I’ve been trying to understand this for a while but can’t find clear documentation about it.
Can anyone explain what this acquisition source means and how users end up being attributed to it?
That source is tricky to track down but I’ve seen it before. It pops up when users hit Google’s built-in feedback buttons on Android devices.
When someone uses “Send feedback” in Google apps or Android menus and it somehow relates to your app, you’ll see this referral. Also happens when Google sends users to your app after they submit bug reports through official channels.
These weird referral sources are hard to monitor and optimize. You can’t do much about individual cases, but you can automate the tracking.
I built workflows in Latenode that automatically pull GA4 data, flag unusual traffic sources like this, and send me reports. Now I can spot patterns or spikes without checking dashboards daily. Way easier to understand user behavior when automated pipelines handle the grunt work.
I’ve tracked this across several Android apps - com.google.android.feedback pops up when users hit Google’s feedback tools that somehow link back to your app. Could be the “Report a bug” thing in Android settings, or when people submit feedback through Google’s crash reporting. Sometimes it appears after crashes when Google shows users options to reinstall or check out the app again. The attribution gets weird because Google’s routing doesn’t keep clean referral paths. These sessions usually have better engagement than normal traffic - makes sense since users are actively trying to fix problems they had with your app before. Volume typically spikes with stability issues or major Android updates that get people filing more feedback.
This source shows up when Google’s internal systems send traffic to your app. I’ve seen this tons of times working on mobile analytics for enterprise clients. It happens a few ways - Google Assistant might recommend your app when users ask about related issues. Android notifications also use this when routing people from error reports. Plus Google Support reps sometimes point users to apps during help sessions. The traffic volume’s pretty low compared to organic search or direct visits, but conversion quality is usually better since these users already know what they’re looking for or have used your app before. I’ve noticed this source tends to spike alongside customer service activity or when Android pushes major updates that trigger feedback collection.
yeah, com.google.android.feedback typically comes up when users report issues or send feedback thru Google. if someone has your app, Google sometimes links them to it when they need to reach out. but it ain’t super common to see, tbh.