Using self-hosted Umami for iOS app analytics

8 hours ago

The author self-hosts Umami for analytics and developed umami-swift, a lightweight Swift package for iOS app analytics, avoiding third-party data collection and IDFA prompts.
Apps are registered as websites in Umami with pseudo-domains (e.g., myapp.ios), allowing them to appear alongside websites in the dashboard with real app icons and similar visitor, visit, and view metrics.
The Swift package sends data directly to Umami's /api/send and /api/batch endpoints, using a rotating in-memory UUID for visitor tracking without storing data on the device, maintaining privacy and compliance.
Umami.screen() tracks app screens as pageviews, enabling detailed usage insights in the pages list, while Umami.track() logs custom events with optional data, all queued for offline reliability.
Unlike web tracking, native apps bypass browser ad blockers as traffic is encrypted, though system-wide blockers could block the hostname if listed; self-hosted domains typically avoid block lists.
A custom Cloudflare Worker serves app icons by replacing DuckDuckGo's favicon service, allowing real icons to display in Umami's dashboard for pseudo-domains, enhancing visual recognition.

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