Screen name dimension: the app analog of page title
Screen name is the dimension that records which screen of a mobile app a user viewed — the app analog of the page-path or page-title dimension on the web. GA4 captures it from the screen_view event's screen_name and screen_class parameters. Unlike web pages, which expose a URL automatically, app screens carry no inherent name, so screen name is only meaningful when the app explicitly sets it.
What this means
On the web, every page has a URL and title the browser exposes for free. Apps have no equivalent: a screen is just code. GA4's screen_view event therefore carries explicit screen_name and screen_class parameters that the app supplies to label each screen.
The screen name dimension is what those values populate, making in-app journeys analysable the way page paths are on the web.
Why it must be set deliberately
The SDK can auto-collect a screen_class (often the class or controller name), but that is a developer artifact, not a meaningful label — many screens can share one class. Without an explicit screen_name, distinct screens collapse into generic buckets and navigation analysis breaks.
Good practice is to set a stable, human-readable screen_name per screen and avoid encoding dynamic data (ids, queries) into it, which would inflate cardinality.
- Captured via screen_view (screen_name / screen_class)
- screen_class is auto-collected but coarse
- Explicit screen_name is required for useful analysis
How it appears in analytics and logs
A screen name value identifies an app screen. Generic or duplicated screen names (e.g. every screen reading 'MainActivity') signal that screen_name was not set deliberately, collapsing distinct screens together.
Diagnostic use case
Use screen name to analyse navigation inside an app, while ensuring the app sets descriptive screen names rather than relying on the auto-collected class.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID models app screens as first-party events, so in-app navigation can be analysed without device-level identifiers.
Common mistakes
- Relying on auto-collected screen_class as the screen label.
- Embedding dynamic ids into screen names, inflating cardinality.
- Assuming app screens carry names automatically like web URLs.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Screen names describe app structure, not people — as long as you do not embed identifiers (an account number) into the name. WebmasterID-style app tracking should keep screen names free of personal data.
Related pages
- Platform dimension: web, Android, or iOS
Platform is the dimension that records the broad surface a hit came from: web, Android, or iOS. In GA4 it is determined by the data stream the event arrived through, since a property can combine app and web streams. It is coarser than the operating-system dimension and is the right axis for comparing app versus web behaviour — but mixing app-only and web-only metrics across platforms is a frequent reporting error.
- Page title dimension
The page title dimension records the document title (the <title> text) of each viewed page. GA4 captures it from the page_view event. It is convenient for human-readable reports, but titles are editable and dynamic: the same URL can carry different titles over time or across A/B tests, splitting one page into several title rows and making path a more stable key.
- The screen_view event (apps)
screen_view is the GA4 event that records when a screen is displayed in a mobile app, the app analogue of the web's page_view. It carries firebase_screen and firebase_screen_class parameters identifying the screen. It is collected automatically by the Firebase/GA4 SDKs and is the basis for app navigation and screen-engagement analysis.
- Event Explorer
Inspect screen_view events behind the dimension.
Sources and verification notes
- Google Analytics for Firebase — Screen tracking (screen_view)Documents screen_name and screen_class parameters.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.