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Three layers of identity
"How many people" depends on which layer you count:
- Visitor — an anonymous identifier the collector derives from the site, network address and browser details. The website script sets no cookies by default, so the same person on another browser or network may count as another visitor.
- Device — a device identifier is stored only when identity mode is on and the visitor has consented to analytics.
- User — appears only after your site or app calls the login method when someone signs in, binding your own user ID to that device.
In projects without identity mode, all three give the same count, because the last two are empty.
Turning on identity mode
Identity mode needs Pro or above. There's no self-service switch in the console yet; ask us in the chat or by email and we'll turn it on for the project after checking the prerequisites with you — your privacy policy and consent banner.
Once it's on, the website script loads an identity extension when needed, and the login methods become available after that.
Call it at sign-in
After a successful sign-in, call the login method with a stable, unique user ID from your system (not an email or phone number — those change). Call logout when they sign out. Copy-ready code is under Website analytics › Configuration › SDK code; the app and mini-program SDKs have login methods with the same behaviour, and mini programs can use OpenID as the identifier type.
Two other methods come up often: adding another identifier to the same user (a UnionID, say), and writing or filling in profile fields such as name or plan.
What happens after sign-in
- Earlier activity is attached to the user. The first time a device is bound to a user, that session and earlier anonymous visits on the device are attributed to them, so you can see which channel someone came from before signing up and what they read.
- Switching accounts on one device. History already attached to the previous user stays as it is; the device now points to the new user, and a new session starts at that moment.
- One user, several devices. Phone and laptop visits merge into one person. By default a user can have up to 50 devices; beyond that the oldest is unbound.
Values that are rejected
Empty values and obvious placeholders such as guest, anonymous, all zeros or -1 are rejected, so signed-out people never merge into one "user". Rejections appear as data-quality warnings on the identity mapping page.
Where to check
Where: Product analytics › Users › Identity mapping.
- Cards: users, bound devices, and people newly identified in the last 7 days.
- Counting differences — visitors, devices and users for the same range, showing how many duplicates merging removed.
- Mapping log — every bind, backfill, account switch and split, with who did it and when.
Owners and admins can split a device that was merged by mistake.
Effect on your numbers
Counting by user merges a person's phone and laptop, so people counts usually go down. That's a different way of counting, not lost data. Website analytics pages still count visitors by default; the cross-platform overview always counts users.
Privacy
Identity mode turns anonymous analytics into data that can be linked to a person. In the EEA, the UK and elsewhere that usually requires the visitor's explicit consent. Before switching it on, make sure your privacy policy and consent banner cover it — see Consent rules by region.