A data stream in Google Analytics is the information that feeds your dashboards and insights reports – or flows there, if we want to keep the metaphor going. There are three types of data streams that Google Analytics includes in the setup process: Web, iOS, and Android. Web covers websites, iOS covers apps for Apple devices, and Android covers apps for android devices.
Let’s walk through an example. Your agency builds a website for your client, and you’d like to track how it’s performing. You create a data stream in the client’s Google Analytics property, and user data begins trickling in.
The client lets you know that they also have an android app – so you’ll need to start collecting that data as well for a well-rounded progress report. You generate a second data stream for the app within the same property and connect it using Firebase, and voila! Insights ahoy.
