In-app feedback and bug reporting in Apptics

In-app feedback and bug reporting

Overview

Using in-app feedback, you can collect valuable user feedback from within the app. Apptics' in-app Feedback provides developers complete control over when and how users can share feedback and report bugs immediately without having to leave the application and go through multiple steps. 

Trigger in-app feedback pop ups

The in-app feedback module is a plugin in Apptics. By implementing Apptics' FeedbackKit, you can trigger feedback pop ups through:
  1. Gestures like shaking the device or taking a screenshot (shake-to-share feedback mechanism).
  2. UI elements like a help icon, a feedback button, feedback widgets, etc.
  3. An option in the app settings, resources section, etc.
The feedback pop up allows you users to:
  1. Share feedback - Write their suggestions or valuable inputs about your app along with relevant attachments either using their email ID, or anonymously.
  2. Report bugs - Take a screenshots, mask any PII/sensitive information, annotate them to pinpoint the problem, and report them as bugs.
While your users send their inputs, you can also capture additional information like diagnostic info, error logs, traces of events/screens/APIs, screenshots, screen recordings, etc. that add more context to the user feedback. 

There are different methods to show the feedback popup, provide shake to feedback mechanism to users, and analyze in-app feedback data in the Apptics console. For SDK implementation, refer to our SDK guide.
  1. In-app feedback SDK guide for Android
  2. In-app feedback SDK guide for Cocoa
  3. In-app feedback SDK guide for Windows
  4. In-app feedback SDK guide for React Native
  5. In-app feedback SDK guide for Flutter
  6. In-app feedback SDK for Javascript

Data captured with in-app feedback

When a user submits in-app feedback, Apptics captures different types of data points depending on what is enabled. The below table shows the list of data points captured while enabling certain in-app feedback features:

Feature enabled
Data captured
User-submitted inputs
(Default feedback data)
  1. Written feedback (text)
  2. Attached files (images)
  3. Screen recording (if enabled)
  4. Screenshot (if captured or attached manually)
Screen recording
(Optional and auto-captured by SDK)
  1. Video recording of the screen (if user-initiated and consented)
  2. Audio (if microphone access is granted)
  3. On-screen interactions (eg: taps, swipes, scrolls)
  4. Device specs (eg: screen resolution, OS version, browser version, etc.)
  5. Browser console logs (for web apps)
  6. Network logs (XHR/fetch requests for web apps)
  7. Client-side performance metrics (for web apps)
  8. Auto-generated video transcript (if applicable)
Performance and diagnostic metadata
(Auto-captured by the SDK)
  1. Device and OS details
  2. App version and build number
  3. Session details and timestamps
  4. Triggered screens, events, and API calls during the session
  5. Network type (Wi-Fi, mobile data, etc.)
  6. System logs (for mobile apps)
  7. Console logs (for web apps)

Notes
Note: For iOS apps, the developer needs to provide the NSMicrophoneUsageDescription while configuring screen recording option in the in-app feedback mechanism.

Analyze in-app feedback in Apptics console

  1. Navigate to Developer > In-app feedback. You can get and overview all the in-app feedback you receive for your app.
  2. The feedback timeline shows the total number of feedback received and the number of feedback received across platforms for the selected date range.
  3. All the in-app feedback received is run through sentiment analysis and categorized as Positive, Neutral, and Negative feedback for each platform.

  1. At the bottom of the page, the feedback list shows all the individual feedback received along with details such as the sentiment behind the feedback, the feedback message, app version, OS, device type, the date on which the feedback was received, and any comments.
  2. If you have already enabled third-party integrations for the feedback module like Zoho Projects, Zoho Desk, or Zendesk, there will be additional columns in the list that let you assign the feedback received as a bug in Zoho Projects or view the feedback as tickets in Zoho Desk and Zendesk.

  1. If you click on the individual feedback, you will be able to see the whole picture with additional details and context to the user feedback.

View individual feedback details

  1. Click on the individual feedback and you will get details such as the app version, OS Version, device ID, device model, SDK Version, battery status, network type and strength, device orientation, and the space available in the device.
  2. You can check the traces of events, API calls, and screens that were triggered during the session in which the feedback was given.
      1. Events - provides you with a list of all the events that were triggered while the feedback was given.
      2. API calls - provides you with a list of all the API Calls that were triggered while the feedback was given.
      3. Screens - provides you with a list of all the screens that were visited before the feedback was given.
  3. You will be able to see the option PII is available if the user has provided their email address along with their feedback.
  4. Click on Attachments available to view any attachments your users have sent along with their feedback.
  5. For web apps, you will be able to see another option to view screen recordings. Click on Recorded video available to view the screen recording along with session details for further analysis.
  6. If the feedback message is in a language other than English, you can click on the See translation option to view the message translated to English.

NotesNote: Viewing feedback details like diagnostic info, user info (if available), attachments, and screen recordings is a role-based action. You can view feedback details if you have the privilege for feedback management for your role in the organization. Contact your organization admin to check your role and privilege. 

Assign in-app feedback as support ticket

If you enable Zoho Desk or Zendesk integration for feedback module, every individual in-app feedback you receive will be automatically created as a support ticket in your Zoho Desk or Zendesk portal. You will be able to see an option to View ticket on Desk and when you click on it, you can provide the necessary details and assign in to the support agents in your team.


Assign in-app feedback as a bug

If you enable Zoho projects integration for feedback module, you can file a feedback as a bug in your Zoho Projects portal.
  1. Click on the option to Assign as bug and a pop up will appear.
  2. Once you provide the necessary details, Click Assign bug. You can now assign feedback as a bug to the right person and track the progress in Zoho Projects.

In-app feedback widget in Zoho Apptics

Once you implement the in-app feedback widget in your applications in a way that suits your app's flow, your users will see an option to send feedback, report bugs, ask for help, or flag issues from within the app.

To see how this works in action, let's take the example of how we've implemented the Apptics' in-app feedback mechanism in the Apptics web console and mobile apps. So when you are using the Apptics web console or mobile applications, you can share feedback, report any issues or bugs, ask for help, etc. by clicking on the Share feedback widget.

In-app feedback widget in web console

  1. Click on the Share feedback icon on the right strip and a pop will appear.

  1. A pop up will appear from where you can share feedback, report bugs, ask for help, or report any other problems you face and provide the necessary details.

  1. For screen recording, fill the check box and click Start screen recording.
  2. A pop up will open asking for permissions and select which tab/screen you want to record. After granting the required permissions, the screen recording will begin.

  1. Click on the floating icon saying Stop recording to stop the screen recording.
  2. The recorded video clip will appear in the pop up along with the options to preview, edit, and delete the recorded clip.
  3. If you choose to edit, the recording editor provides you options to:
  1. Blur/mask any PII/sensitive information
  2. Add annotations (arrows, shapes, text)
  3. Include a voiceover to explain what is shown in the recording
  4. Trim the recorded clip

  1. Once the changes are done, click on Save & close.
  2. You can also send any screenshots and attach up to 5 files along with the feedback. Click on Attachments and upload the files you want to send along with feedback.

  1. When you are ready, click Send and your feedback will be sent and get reflected on our in-app feedback dashboard within a few minutes so that we can look into it and provide faster resolution.
NotesNote: To ensure proper screen recording and uninterrupted feedback sharing, do not close, switch, or reload the tab/browser window when the screen is being recorded.

In-app feedback widget in mobile apps (iOS and Android)

  1. You can shake your mobile device to see a feedback pop up or go to the app's Settings > Write to us and a feedback screen will appear where you can:
      1. Provide more details about the feedback or bug you want to report (text format)
      2. Attach any screenshots (image format)
      3. Start screen recording 
  1. Tap on the Screen record icon > Start screen recording. A pop up will appear asking for permissions for screen recording. After granting the required permissions, the screen recording will begin. You can record your screen for a maximum of 5 minutes.
  2. To stop the screen recording, tap on the floating icon. The recorded video clip will appear in the editor along with the options to mask/blur any sensitive information, annotate with shapes, and trim the clip as required.

  1. Once you have finished editing the clip, tap on the tick icon at the right hand top corner.
  2. The recorded clip will appear as a file attachment. After providing the necessary details, tap on Send and once the feedback is sent successfully, the confirmation pop up will appear.
Note: To ensure proper screen recording and uninterrupted feedback sharing, do not close the app when the screen is being recorded.