Install Userpilot on Your React Native App

Introduction

Userpilot React Native Module enables you to capture user insights and deliver personalized in-app experiences in real time. With just a one-time setup, you can immediately begin leveraging Userpilot’s analytics and engagement features to understand user behaviors and guide their journeys in-app.


This document provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the installation and initialization process, as well as instructions on using the SDK’s public methods.

Prerequisites

React Native

your application should use React Native version 0.73 or above. Applications using Expo should use version 50 or above. The New Architecture is fully supported.


Android

Your application's build.gradle must have a compileSdkVersion of 34+ and minSdkVersion of 21+, and use Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) 8+.

android {
    compileSdkVersion 34

    defaultConfig {
        minSdkVersion 21
    }
}

Android Gradle Plugin, If you are using AGP 8.8.0+, the Android Gradle Plugin will automatically use Build Tools version 35.0.0, regardless of the value you specify. comment it or update its value to buildToolsVersion = 35.0.0

To ensure full compatibility with our SDK, please upgrade your app’s target and compile SDK version to 35.


iOS

your application must target iOS 11+ to install the SDK, and iOS 13+ to render Userpilot content. Update the iOS project xcodeproj to set the deployment target, if needed. In the application's Podfile , include at least this minimum version.

# Podfile
platform :ios, '13.0'

Installation

Add the Userpilot React Native Module dependency to your application.

  1. In your app's root directory, install the Userpilot React Native Module. You can fetch the latest version from here.
npm install @userpilot/react-native
  1. Under your application's ios folder, run
pod install

Note: You do not need to manually update your Podfile to add Userpilot.

Initialization

To use Userpilot, initialize it once in your Application class. This ensures the SDK is ready as soon as your app starts. Update your Application class. Replace <APP_TOKEN> with your Application Token, which can be fetched from your Environments Page.

import * as Userpilot from '@userpilot/react-native'

await Userpilot.setup('<APP_TOKEN>', { logging: true })

Using the SDK

Once initialized, the SDK provides straightforward methods for identifying users, tracking events, and screen views.


Identifying Users

This method is used to identify unique users and companies (groups of users) and set their properties. Once identified, all subsequent tracked events and screens will be attributed to that user.]


Recommended Usage:

  • On user authentication (login): Immediately call identify when a user signs in to establish their identity for all future events.
  • On app launch for authenticated users: If the user has a valid authenticated session, call identify at app launch.
  • Upon property updates: Whenever user or company properties change.
userpilot.identify(
  '<USER_ID>',
  {
      'name' : "John Doe",
      "email' : 'user@example.com',
      'created_at' : '2019-10-17',
      'role' : 'Admin'},
  {
      'id' to '<COMPANY_ID>',
      'name': 'Acme Labs',
      'created_at': '2019-10-17',
      'plan' to 'Free'
  }
)

Properties Guidelines

  • Key id is required in company properties, to identify a unique company.
  • Userpilot supports String, Numeric, and Date types.
  • Make sure you’re sending date values in ISO8601 format.
  • If you are planning to use Userpilot’s localization features, make sure you are passing user property locale_code with a value that adheres to ISO 639-1 format.
  • Userpilot’s reserved properties’ have pre-determined types and improve profiles interface in the dashboard:
    • Use key email to pass the user’s email.
    • Use key name to pass the user’s or company’s name.
    • Use key created_at to pass the user’s or company’s signed up date.

Notes

  • Make sure your User ID source is consistent across all of your platform installations (Web, Android, and iOS).
  • While properties are optional, they are essential in Userpilot’s segmentation capabilities. We encourage you to set the properties with the people who are responsible for Userpilot integration.

Tracking Screens (Required)

Calling screen is crucial for unlocking Userpilot’s core engagement and analytics capabilities. When a user navigates to a particular screen, invoking screen records that view and triggers any eligible in-app experiences. Subsequent events are also attributed to the most recently tracked screen, providing context for richer analytical insights. For these reasons, we strongly recommend tracking all of your app’s screen views.

userpilot.screen('Profile');

Tracking Events

Log any meaningful action the user performs. Events can be button clicks, form submissions, or any custom activity you want to analyze. Optionally, you can pass metadata with the event to provide specific context.

userpilot.track('Added to Cart', {'itemId' : 'sku_456', 'price' : 29.99})

Logging Out

When a user logs out, call logout() to clear the current user context. This ensures subsequent events are no longer associated with the previous user.

userpilot.logout()

Anonymous Users

If a user is not authenticated, call anonymous() to track events without a user ID. This is useful for pre-signup flows or guest user sessions.

userpilot.anonymous()

Anonymous users are counted towards your Monthly Active Users usage. You should take your account’s MAU limit into consideration before applying this method.

Trigger Experience

Triggers a specific experience programmatically using it's ID. This API allows you to manually initiate an experience within your application.

userpilot.triggerExperience(experienceID: string)

To end current active experience

userpilot.endExperience()

SDK callbacks

Userpilot SDK provides three types of callbacks:

  • Navigation Listener
  • Analytics Listener
  • Experience Listener

Navigation Listener

Triggered when a deep link is invoked from an experience or push notification.

Parameters

  • url: string – The custom deep link URL that should be handled by the host (client) app.

Analytics Listener

Triggered when the client app reports an analytics event to the SDK.

Parameters

  • analytic: string – The name or type of the analytic event ("Identify" , "Screen" , "Event" ).
  • value: string – The value associated with the event.
  • properties: Map<string, any> – Additional key-value pairs providing context for the event.

Experience Listener

Provides callbacks related to the lifecycle of experiences and their steps within the SDK.

Callbacks

  • onExperienceStateChanged(id: int, state: string)

    Called when the overall state of an experience changes.

    • id : Experience ID
    • state : New state ("Started" , "Completed" , "Dismissed" )
  • onExperienceStepStateChanged(id: int, state: string, experienceId: int, step: int, totalSteps: int)
    • Called when the state of a specific step in an experience changes.
    • id : Step ID
    • state : New step state ("Started" , "Completed" , "Dismissed" )
    • experienceId : Associated experience ID
    • step : Current step index
    • totalSteps : Total number of steps in the experience

Note: Both onExperienceStateChanged and onExperienceStepStateChanged events are sent under the key UserpilotExperienceEvent .

useEffect(() => {
  const eventEmitter = new NativeEventEmitter(
    NativeModules.UserpilotReactNative
  )
  const listeners = [
    eventEmitter.addListener('UserpilotAnalyticsEvent', (event) =>
      console.log('Analytics Event:', JSON.stringify(event, null, 2))
    ),
    eventEmitter.addListener('UserpilotExperienceEvent', (event) =>
      console.log('Experience Event:', JSON.stringify(event, null, 2))
    ),
    eventEmitter.addListener('UserpilotNavigationEvent', (event) => {
      console.log('Navigation Event', JSON.stringify(event, null, 2))
      if (event?.url) handleDeepLink(event.url)
    }),
  ]
  return () => listeners.forEach((listener) => listener.remove())
}, [])

Push Notifications

UserPilot SDK supports handling push notifications to help you deliver targeted messages and enhance user engagement.


Android Setup:

Prerequisites

It is recommended to configure your Android push settings in the Userpilot Settings Studio before setting up push notifications in your app.

To obtain the required keys and configuration details, please refer to the Android Push Notification Guide.


Setting up

This guide assumes this is the first time code is being added to your project related to setting up push notifications using Google services (Firebase Cloud Messaging). In the case your project is already configured for push, proceed to Step 2.


Step 1. Add Firebase

Follow the steps in the official Google documentation on How to add Firebase to your project.


Step 2. Request Notifications Permission

Starting from Android 13 (API level 33), apps must explicitly request the POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission in order to display push notifications.

  • Declare the Permission in the Manifest file, under example -> android -> app -> manifest
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />
  • Request the Permission at Runtime

For example using : "react-native-permissions": "^5.4.0"

  const requestNotificationPermission = async () => {
    if (Platform.OS === 'android' && Platform.Version >= 33) {
      try {
        const alreadyGranted = await PermissionsAndroid.check(
          PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.POST_NOTIFICATIONS
        )

        if (alreadyGranted) {
          console.log('Notification permission already granted')
          return
        }

        const granted = await PermissionsAndroid.request(
          PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.POST_NOTIFICATIONS,
          {
            title: 'Notification Permission',
            message: 'This app would like to send you notifications',
            buttonPositive: 'Allow',
            buttonNegative: 'Deny',
          }
        )

        if (granted === PermissionsAndroid.RESULTS.GRANTED) {
          console.log('Notification permission granted')
        } else {
          console.log('Notification permission denied')
        }
      } catch (err) {
        console.warn('Permission request error:', err)
      }
    }
  }

Step 3. Add the Userpilot Firebase Messaging Service

Firebase connects to your app through a <service> . Go to your Manifest file under example -> android -> app -> manifest and add:

<service
  android:name="com.userpilot.pushNotifications.UserpilotFirebaseMessagingService"
  android:exported="false">
  <intent-filter>
    <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
  </intent-filter>
</service>

If your project has already added a child of FirebaseMessagingService, you can leave it as is, and instead plug in UserpilotFirebaseMessagingService to your service class.

import com.userpilot.pushNotifications.UserpilotFirebaseMessagingService
import com.google.firebase.messaging.FirebaseMessagingService
import com.google.firebase.messaging.RemoteMessage

class CustomFirebaseMessageService : FirebaseMessagingService() {
    override fun onMessageReceived(message: RemoteMessage) {
        if (UserpilotFirebaseMessagingService.handleMessage(baseContext, message)) {
           // handled as Userpilot message
           return
        }

        // not Userpilot message
        super.onMessageReceived(message)
        }

    override fun onNewToken(token: String) {
       // sets new token from the callback
       UserpilotFirebaseMessagingService.setToken(token)

       super.onNewToken(token)
    }
}

Step 4. Deep Linking: Launching Your App When a Notification is Clicked

To ensure your app opens automatically when a Userpilot push notification is clicked, you need to configure an intent-filter in your app's entry Activity under example -> android -> app -> manifest .

This configuration enables deep linking based on a custom scheme defined in your app.

Define the Deep Link Scheme In your userpilot.xml configuration file, you should have defined a value for userpilot_push_notification , check Step 5.

Update Manifest file to include the intent-filter as below. Make sure to set host="sdk" .

<activity
  android:name=".MainActivity"
  android:label="@string/app_name"
  android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenLayout|screenSize|smallestScreenSize|uiMode"
  android:launchMode="singleTask"
  android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize"
  android:exported="true">
  <intent-filter>
      <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
      <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
  </intent-filter>
  <intent-filter>
    <data android:scheme="userpilot_push_notification" android:host="sdk"/>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />

    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
  </intent-filter>
</activity>

Inside your MainActivityunder example -> android -> app, pass intent to Userpilot SDK to handle it.

override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
  
    handleIntentUserpilotIntent(intent)
}


override fun onNewIntent(intent: Intent) {
    super.onNewIntent(intent)

    if (handleIntentUserpilotIntent(intent)) return
}


 /** If not handled by Userpilot, then let app handle it. */
private fun handleIntentUserpilotIntent(intent: Intent): Boolean {
    return userpilot.onNewIntent(intent)
}

Step 5. Customizing

The Userpilot SDK allows for some customizations that will change how your messages will be delivered to your end users. These properties are set as <resources> properties. In order change those properties create a file under res/values under example -> android -> app and set it to desired values.

<resources>
    <!-- Small icon displayed in the notification bar -->
    <drawable name="userpilot_notification_small_icon">@drawable/ic_notification</drawable>

    <!-- Accent color applied to notification UI elements -->
    <color name="userpilot_notification_color">#6765E8</color>

    <!-- Determines if notifications are visible on the lock screen (true = visible) -->
    <bool name="userpilot_notification_channel_lock_screen_visibility">true</bool>

    <!-- Enables notification lights for the channel -->
    <bool name="userpilot_notification_channel_enable_light">true</bool>

    <!-- Enables vibration for the notifications -->
    <bool name="userpilot_notification_channel_enable_vibration">true</bool>

    <!-- Unique ID for the notification channel -->
    <string name="userpilot_notification_channel_id">com.userpilot.general.channel</string>

    <!-- Human-readable name for the notification channel -->
    <string name="userpilot_notification_channel_name">General</string>

    <!-- Description shown to the user about this notification channel -->
    <string name="userpilot_notification_channel_description">Default channel used for app messages</string>

    <!-- Importance level of the notification channel (0 = NONE, 5 = MAX) -->
    <integer name="userpilot_notification_channel_importance">3</integer>

    <!-- Key used to identify Userpilot push notifications -->
    <string name="userpilot_push_notification">userpilot_push_notification</string>
</resources>

iOS Setup

Prerequisites

It is recommended to configure your iOS push settings in the Userpilot Settings Studio before setting up push notifications in your app.

To obtain the required keys and configuration details, please refer to the iOS Push Notification Guide.


Enabling Push Notification Capabilities

In Xcode, navigate to the Signing & Capabilities section of your main app target and add the Push Notifications capability.


Configuring Push Notifications

The Userpilot iOS SDK supports receiving push notification so you can reach your users whenever the moment is right.

There are two options for configuring push notification: automatic or manual.

Automatic configuration is the quickest and simplest way to configure push notifications and is recommended for most customers.


Automatic App Configuration

Automatic configuration takes advantage of swizzling to automatically provide the necessary implementations of the required UIApplicationDelegate and UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate methods.

To enable automatic configuration, call Userpilot.enableAutomaticPushConfig() from UIApplicationDelegate.application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) inside example -> ios -> AppDelegate.swift .

func application(
_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions
launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?
) -> Bool {
   // Automatically configure for push notifications
   Userpilot.enableAutomaticPushConfig()

   // Override point for customization after application launch.
}

Automatic configuration seamlessly integrates with your app's existing push notification handling. It processes only Userpilot notifications, while ensuring that all other notifications continue to be handled by your app’s original logic.



Manually Configuring Push Notifications

Step 1. Enable push capabilities

Step 2. Register for push notifications

Step 3. Set push token for Userpilot

Step 4. Enable push response handling

Step 5. Configure foreground handling


Full source code:

// AppDelegate+PushNotification.swift

import Foundation
import UserNotifications
import UserpilotReactNative

typealias UserpilotImplementation = Implementation

extension AppDelegate: UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate {
/// Call from `UIApplicationDelegate.application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:)`
func setupPush(application: UIApplication) {
    // 1: Register to get a device token
    application.registerForRemoteNotifications()

    UNUserNotificationCenter.current().delegate = self
}

// 2: Pass device token to Appcues
override func application(_ application: UIApplication, didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken deviceToken: Data) {
  UserpilotImplementation.setPushToken(deviceToken)
}

// 3: Pass the user's response to a delivered notification to Appcues
func userNotificationCenter(
    _ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
    didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse,
    withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void
) {
    if UserpilotImplementation.didReceiveNotification(response: response, completionHandler: completionHandler) {
        return
    }

    completionHandler()
}

// 4: Configure handling for notifications that arrive while the app is in the foreground
func userNotificationCenter(
    _ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
    willPresent notification: UNNotification,
    withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping (UNNotificationPresentationOptions) -> Void
) {
    if #available(iOS 14.0, *) {
        completionHandler([.banner, .list])
    } else {
        completionHandler(.alert)
    }
}
}
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