Push notification open events
A push-notification open event (notification_open in the Firebase/GA4 model) records that a user tapped a push notification to enter the app, as opposed to merely receiving it. It is the re-engagement counterpart to notification receipt: receipt means delivered, open means acted on. As an automatically collected event for messaging-enabled apps, it lets you measure whether push campaigns actually bring users back.
Open vs receive
Messaging-enabled apps can log notification_receive when a message is delivered and notification_open when the user taps it to launch the app (Firebase/GA4 automatically collected events). The pair forms a simple funnel: delivery, then action. Open is the meaningful re-engagement signal because it indicates the user chose to return, not merely that a message arrived.
Reading re-engagement
Comparing opens to receipts tells you how persuasive a campaign is once delivered. A healthy delivery rate with weak opens points to messaging that does not earn the tap — wrong timing, weak copy, or poor targeting. Pair open events with what users do next (deep links, key events) to see whether the return produced value, not just a launch.
- notification_receive = delivered; notification_open = acted on
- Open is the re-engagement signal that matters
- Pair with post-open behaviour to judge value
How it appears in analytics and logs
Many receipts but few opens mean notifications land but do not motivate a return — a content, timing, or relevance problem rather than a delivery one.
Diagnostic use case
Measure push re-engagement by comparing notification_receive (delivered) with notification_open (acted on), so you can judge campaign effectiveness, not just delivery.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID measures first-party web behaviour; push-notification opens are a mobile re-engagement concept documented here for a complete events reference.
Common mistakes
- Treating delivery (receive) as if it were engagement (open).
- Ignoring what users do after opening.
- Embedding identity in campaign parameters.
Privacy and accuracy notes
An open event signals an action on a campaign, not who the person is. Keep notification and campaign parameters non-identifying.
Related pages
- Notification receive and open events
notification_receive and notification_open are GA4/Firebase events that track the lifecycle of a push notification: receive marks that a message arrived on the device, open marks that the user tapped it. Together they reveal delivery versus engagement — how many notifications land versus how many actually pull users back. They describe the message and campaign, not the recipient's identity.
- Deep link open events
A deep-link open event records that a user entered the app via a deep link — a URL that routes to a specific in-app screen rather than the home screen. Combined with campaign details it attributes app entries to the link that drove them. In the Firebase/GA4 model this relates to dynamic-link and campaign-details collection. It answers where an app session began and which campaign or context sent the user there.
- In-app message events
In-app message events record how users interact with messages shown inside an app — impressions, dismissals, and action clicks from an in-app messaging campaign. In the Firebase/GA4 model these arrive as automatically collected events when in-app messaging is in use. They let you measure whether on-device prompts drive the action you intended, distinct from push notifications delivered outside the app.
- Event Explorer
Track re-engagement events end to end.
Sources and verification notes
- Google Analytics Help — Automatically collected eventsnotification_receive and notification_open for messaging apps.
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.