If you build or manage a mobile app, you know the drill: crashes, weird bugs, users getting stuck, or just not using the features you poured months into. Guessing what’s wrong is a waste of time, and asking users for feedback rarely gives you the full picture. This guide is for mobile product folks, designers, and developers who want to skip the guesswork and actually see what’s happening in their app—good, bad, and ugly.
That’s where FullStory comes in. It’s a mobile analytics tool that records real user sessions, so you can watch exactly what users did before they rage-quit or finally made it through your onboarding. Used right, it helps you find choke points, squash bugs, and improve the experience for real people—not just the ones who bother to leave reviews.
Here’s how to actually get value out of FullStory for your mobile app, without drowning in dashboards or chasing vanity metrics.
1. Install FullStory in Your Mobile App (Properly)
Don’t skip this step, even if you’re itching to “just see the data.” A sloppy install means you’ll miss half the insights later.
- Add the SDK: FullStory has SDKs for iOS and Android. Follow the docs for your platform. Don’t just copy/paste—read the setup instructions, especially around privacy.
- Tag key screens & events: Out of the box, FullStory tracks a lot, but you’ll want to tag important screens (like checkout or onboarding) and custom events (e.g. “Tapped Subscribe Button”).
- Set up user ID mapping: Tie sessions to actual user IDs (not just device IDs) so you can help specific users and spot patterns.
- Obfuscate sensitive data: FullStory lets you mask things like passwords or payment info. Use this, and make sure your privacy policy covers session recording.
Pro tip: Test your install in a staging environment first. Watch a couple of your own sessions to make sure nothing sensitive is slipping through.
2. Watch Real User Sessions—But Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds
Session replay is FullStory’s big selling point. You can watch a video-like playback of users interacting with your app. It’s both enlightening and a little scary.
What actually works: - Start with known pain points: Filter sessions for recent crashes, rage taps, or failed purchases. - Tag sessions by user action: FullStory can show you sessions where users did (or didn’t) complete a key flow. - Take notes: Use the built-in commenting or grab timestamps. Share clips with your team, not just bug tickets.
What to ignore: - Don’t just randomly watch sessions hoping for insight. You’ll waste hours. - Don’t assume one weird session = big problem. Look for patterns.
Pro tip: When you spot a problem (like users bailing at a certain screen), check if it’s a design issue, a bug, or just confusing wording. Sometimes it’s all three.
3. Set Up Funnels to Track User Flows (and Where They Drop Off)
Funnels are your friend. They show you, step by step, how users move through key flows (signup, checkout, onboarding), and—more importantly—where most give up.
How to do it: - Define each step clearly: For example, onboarding might be: Open app → Create account → Confirm email → Complete first action. - Use events you’ve tagged: That’s why Step 1 matters. If you didn’t tag “Tapped Finish Onboarding,” you can’t track it now. - Look for big drop-offs: A 10% drop is normal. 50% means something’s broken or confusing.
What works: - Pair funnel data with session replays. When you see a drop, watch what users did there. - Use funnels to measure before/after when you change something. Did the drop-off move?
What doesn’t: - Don’t obsess over tiny funnel leaks, especially with small sample sizes. - Don’t add a million steps to your funnel. Keep it focused.
4. Use Heatmaps and Event Data to Spot Trends
FullStory aggregates touch data to show where users tap, swipe, and get stuck. Heatmaps are great for spotting UX issues that don’t show up in raw numbers.
What to look for: - Dead zones: Areas getting lots of taps but nothing happens (maybe a button looks tappable but isn’t). - Rage taps: Users repeatedly tapping the same spot in frustration. This is gold—something’s broken, or at least not behaving as expected. - Unused features: Fancy button nobody ever taps? Maybe it’s in the wrong place—or nobody wants it.
Pro tip: Compare heatmaps and events before and after updates. Did your “fix” actually help, or just move the problem?
5. Fix What Matters—Not Just What’s Easy
It’s tempting to chase after the low-hanging fruit—typos, small visual bugs, minor layout tweaks. But FullStory’s real value is in helping you prioritize what actually impacts users.
How to decide what to fix: - Impact over effort: Fix things that block users or cause drop-offs, even if they’re annoying to tackle. - Look for patterns: One user getting stuck = maybe just them. Dozens? That’s a real problem. - Validate with numbers: If you see a weird behavior in session replay, check how often it happens in event data.
What to ignore: - Don’t spend a week fixing a bug nobody hits. - Don’t blindly copy what your competitors do—your users might have different needs.
6. Share Insights Across Your Team (Don’t Work in a Silo)
Session replays and funnel data are great, but they’re even better when you share them with designers, devs, and support.
- Clip and share replays: Show the team a user getting stuck—it’s much more persuasive than a Jira ticket.
- Flag urgent issues: If you see a bug that’s costing you signups or sales, raise it immediately.
- Loop in support: When someone complains, pull up their session and see exactly what happened.
Pro tip: Don’t just dump data on people. Add context: “Here’s where users are dropping off—looks like the back button is too hard to find.”
7. Don’t Get Distracted by Vanity Metrics
FullStory tracks a lot—session counts, click rates, page loads. It’s easy to drown in numbers that don’t mean much.
Focus on: - Conversion rates for key flows (signup, purchase, etc.) - Drop-off points in funnels - Frequency and severity of rage taps, crashes, and dead-ends
Ignore: - Total sessions (unless you’re tracking growth) - “Average session length” (not always meaningful—sometimes shorter is better) - Heatmap clicks on non-critical screens
Remember: Metrics should help you make decisions, not just fill up a dashboard.
8. Iterate, Test, Repeat
No tool, including FullStory, will magically fix your app. The real work is in using the insights to make small, targeted improvements, then seeing if they actually help.
- Make one change at a time: If you tweak three things and things improve, you won’t know what worked.
- Test with real users: If possible, run A/B tests or roll out changes gradually.
- Keep an eye on the data: Did your funnel drop-offs improve? Are support tickets down?
Pro tip: Document what you tried and what happened. It’ll save you from repeating mistakes next quarter.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Keep Improving
FullStory is a powerful tool, but it’s not a silver bullet. Use it to spot real user pain, prioritize fixes, and actually watch what’s happening in your app. Don’t overcomplicate things—focus on the flows that matter, ignore the noise, and fix what actually hurts your users. Check in regularly, make small improvements, and you’ll build an app people don’t just install—they keep coming back to.
Now, get out there and see what your users are really doing. It’s almost always surprising.