Introduction
If your app offers subscription-based features, you can record subscriptions and subscription renewals with AppsFlyer.
Recording subscriptions can help you calculate revenue and ROI, as well as highlight successful campaigns. By gathering subscription related data, you can decide which subscriptions offer more value, and which media sources bring more subscribing users.
Ways to record subscription events
There are two ways to record subscription-related events in AppsFlyer: Server-to-Server Events and In-App Events (sent directly from the app). Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages which are discussed in the table below. This can help you decide which approach suits you better.
| Topic | Server-to-Server | In-App Events |
|---|---|---|
| Event dependence on the app |
The event is sent from the server and is not dependent on the app to be launched. |
The event is sent from the app which means that the app must be launched |
| Sending events in bulk | Yes | No |
| Implementation |
|
|
| Data accuracy |
|
|
| Identifying subscribing users |
|
|
Server-to-server subscription event
With server-to-server events, you can record subscription events in real-time and in bulk. To implement server-to-server events, you need to design backend logic. The backend logic keeps track of subscriptions (new and renewed) and sends subscription events to AppsFlyer as necessary.
Gaining knowledge about a subscription
Payments for subscriptions can be processed by one of the following:
- For in-store Android applications - Google Play Billing Services
- For out-of-store Android applications - Third-party payment processing provider (PayPal, Stripe)
- For iOS applications - App Store Billing Services
Tip
For in-store Android applications: If you are using Google Play Billing Services, refer to their documentation on Purchases API for information about renewed subscriptions. You can also subscribe to real-time developer notifications to monitor changes in subscriptions.
For other payment providers, please consult your payment provider about subscription notifications.
For iOS applications: You can use Apple's server-to-server Status Update Notifications service. This service sends subscription status updates through real-time notifications to your servers.
Important!
The data from Apple's Status Update Notification doesn't contain the subscription price. You should implement backend logic to match the notification from Apple with the correct subscription price.
Sending the event to AppsFlyer
If the payment succeeds, the payment processor sends a notification to your backend services. With this notification, the backend service registers the subscription. Once a subscription purchase or renewal is registered in your backend service, the steps below should take place:
- Your server gathers the necessary data. Such data should include the following: revenue, subscription type, user id, time of renewal.
- The server sends the event to AppsFlyer as a subscription renewal event.
Formatting and sending the event
Subscription event request example:
HTTP POST https://api2.appsflyer.com/inappevent/<APP_ID>
HTTP/1.1
headers:
{
authentication: '<YOUR_DEV_KEY>',
Host: 'api2.appsflyer.com',
Accept: 'application/json',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}
body:
{
"appsflyer_id":"<APPS_FLYER_ID>",
"customer_user_id":"123456",
"eventName":"af_subscribe",
"eventValue":"{\"af_revenue\":\"200\",\"af_content_id\":\"092\",\"renewal\":\"true\"}",
"eventCurrency":"USD",
"ip":"1.0.0.0",
"eventTime":"2018-07-09 4:17:00.000",
"af_events_api":"true"
}
To learn how to format and send the event to AppsFlyer, see sending server-to-server events.
In-app subscription event
Apps often need to check subscription status in order to enable subscription-specific features. You can use this mechanism in order to send subscription-related events to AppsFlyer. Once the app is aware of a subscription purchase or renewal, it can send the event.
Warning
If a user subscribes but doesn't launch the app for more than a month, the subscription is not counted as an event. For example, a user subscribes through your website but then doesn't open the app. If the user doesn't open the app for more than a month after subscribing, the subscription is not counted.
Checking subscription status in the app
The app can either communicate with your servers or receive push notifications with data about subscriptions.
You can configure your app to check the status of the subscription. There are two ways you can achieve this:
- The app checks the subscription status and related data (active or not active, subscription type, expiration date etc.)
- The app receives a push notification about a subscription purchase or renewal.
Tip
For Android applications: you can use Android's real-time developer notifications to notify the app about renewals in real-time.
For iOS applications: the Store kit provides you with payment queue and transaction observers. You can use these to verify a subscription purchase or renewal. Refer to Apple's documentation on finalizing transactions for more information.
Note
Receipt validation is not supported for recording subscriptions in iOS applications.
Sending a subscription-related in-app event
Once the app has the relevant subscription-related data, the following steps should take place:
- The app checks to see if the subscription is a purchase or renewal.
- The app gathers the relevant data (revenue, content_id, purchase or renewal, etc.).
- The app sends the subscription event to AppsFlyer using the SDK.
Subscription event example
| Parameter Name | Type | Example of Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| af_revenue | float | 200 | The revenue associated with the subscription |
| af_currency | string | USD, GBP | The currency of the payment |
| af_content_id | string | 092, monthly_subscription | The name or code of the subscription |
| renewal | boolean | true, false | whether the subscription is new or renewed |
Event code samples
The code snippet below demonstrates how to configure and send the event using the SDK.
Map<String, Object> eventValue = new HashMap<String, Object>();
eventValue.put(AFInAppEventParameterName.REVENUE, 200);
eventValue.put(AFInAppEventParameterName.CURRENCY, "USD");
eventValue.put(AFInAppEventParameterName.CONTENT_ID, "092");
eventValue.put("renewal", true);
AppsFlyerLib.getInstance().trackEvent(getApplicationContext(), AFInAppEventType.SUBSCRIBE, eventValue);
[[AppsFlyerTracker sharedTracker] trackEvent:(AFEventSubscribe) withValues: @{
AFEventParamRevenue: @200,
AFEventParamCurrency: @"USD",
AFEventParamContentId: @"092",
@"renewal": @TRUE
}];AppsFlyerTracker.shared().trackEvent(AFEventSubscribe, withValues: [
AFEventParamRevenue: 200,
AFEventParamCurrency: "USD",
AFEventParamContentId: "092",
"renewal": true
]);Dictionary<string, string> SubscriptionEvent = new Dictionary<string, string>();
SubscriptionEvent.Add("af_revenue", "200");
SubscriptionEvent.Add("af_currency", "USD");
SubscriptionEvent.Add("af_content_id", "092");
SubscriptionEvent.Add("renewal", "true");
AppsFlyer.trackRichEvent ("af_subscribe", SubscriptionEvent);Note
It is highly recommended that you associate subscriptions with customers. To do so, make sure to set the customer user ID. Setting the customer user id is your way to match your customers with users of your app as they appear in AppsFlyer. By setting the customer user id you make sure that any event, subscription-related events included, is sent with the customer user id.