What is an app session?

In mobile analytics, the app session definition is simple:

An app session is one continuous stretch of time when a user is actively engaged with your app.

A session usually starts when the user opens or foregrounds the app, and it ends when they leave or stay inactive for a set timeout window (often around 30 minutes, but it depends on your analytics tool).

The app session meaning in practice is: “one visit, one trip into the app,” no matter how many screens or events happen inside that visit.

Example of an app session

Here’s what a single app session might look like in a shopping app:

1. A user taps your app icon.
2. They land on the home screen, scroll a bit, open a category.
3. They view three products, add one to cart, then check shipping costs.
4. Their kid calls, they lock the phone and walk away.
5. After 25 minutes of inactivity, your analytics tool closes the session.

All of that − from open to inactivity timeout−is counted as one session.

Why are sessions important?

Sessions turn vague “usage” into something you can actually measure.

They help you see:

• How often people come back (sessions per user).
• How deeply they engage (screens/events per session, session length).
• Where they drop off (funnels inside a session).

Product teams use session data to spot UX issues (“everyone bounces two screens after onboarding”), marketers use it to judge traffic quality (“these ad campaigns drive 1-tap sessions and nothing else”), and growth teams use it to track stickiness over time.

In short: if users are your audience, sessions are the episodes. You need both to understand the story your app is really telling.

FAQs

What is an app session in simple terms?

An app session is one “visit” to your app. It starts when a user opens or returns to the app and ends when they leave or stay inactive long enough for the session to time out. That’s the basic app session definition most analytics tools use.

How long is an app session?

There’s no universal length. Most analytics tools use an inactivity window (often around 30 minutes) to decide when a session ends. If the user comes back after that window, a new app session starts.

What’s the difference between a user and a session?

A user is a person. A session is one visit. One user can have many sessions in a day, a week, or a month.

Why does app session meaning matter for analytics?

Because it turns raw events into stories. Sessions show how people move through your app in a single visit — where they land, what they do, and where they drop off. That’s how you debug flows, funnels, and features.

Which app session metrics should I track?

Start with: sessions per user, average session length, screens/events per session, and conversion per session (e.g., purchase, signup, level complete). Those tell you how often people come back and what they actually do when they’re there.