In-App Experience Triggers

A trigger is an event that causes an In-App Automation, Scene, or Survey to appear in a mobile app.

You can configure triggers in an in-app experience ComposerA tool for creating messages using the dashboard. Composers are defined by what you can include and control: message types, delivery, and automation. or in the Journey MapA visualization of messaging components that can be connected to create a continuous user experience. You can also create and edit from the map.. In the map, you also have the option to complete the same configuration as in the composers’ Audience step.

Configuring triggers in a composer

In the Behavior step of a composer, select and configure a trigger. Select Add another to add another trigger. Multiple triggers are handled as a boolean OR.

Next, configure options:

  1. Specify cancellation events.
  2. Set a tag when the message is displayed.
  3. Set display conditions. If you set a cancellation event, you must configure at least one display condition.

You can now select the next step in the composer.

 Important

Other than setting a tag, you cannot add, edit, or remove triggers or any part of the composer Behavior step after the in-app experience is made active or while it is paused.

Configuring triggers and audience in the journey map

In the journey map:

  1. Select the trigger card, then select the compose icon (). If multiple triggers are configured, first select the trigger stack to expand it, and then select a trigger card, or you can select the plus icon () below the configured triggers. All methods open the configuration drawer.

  2. Under Triggers, select and configure a trigger. Select Add another to add another trigger. Multiple triggers are handled as a boolean OR.

  3. (Optional) Under Display Conditions, set display conditions and cancellation events.

  4. (Optional) Under Audience, determine who can see your message:

    OptionDescriptionConfiguration
    All UsersYour entire app audiencen/a
    Target Specific UsersAudience members in a SegmentA grouping of audience members selected by unique or shared identifiers. Multiple identifiers can be combined within a segment. you createFollow the steps in Target Specific Users to create a single-use Segment.
    Test UsersMembers of a Test GroupA preview group is audience group used for previewing personalized content in the dashboard. Wherever a personalization preview is available, you can select a preview group, and its group members’ attributes will appear for any Handlebars references to attributes. You can enable any preview group as a test group so you can send test messages to its group members. These messages appear as tests in Messages Overview.Select a Test Group.
    Feature Flag AudienceMembers of a Feature FlagA toggle for controlling the availability of content or functionality in your app or website. audienceSearch for a flag by name, display name, description, or status. Active, Scheduled, or Ended flags only.

    Feature Flags Audience is not supported for SurveysQuestion-and-answer experiences used to collect and aggregate feedback or generate a net promoter score. They are cached on users’ devices and displayed when your users meet certain conditions within your app, such as viewing a particular screen or opening the app a certain number of times..

  5. Select Save.

 Important

You cannot edit the trigger configuration, cancellation events, or display conditions after the in-app experience is made active or while it is paused. You can edit the audience.

  • To view the trigger configuration, cancellation events, and display conditions or to set a tag when the message is displayed, edit the in-app experience and go to the Behavior step.
  • To view or edit the audience configuration or set up a Scene rollout, edit the in-app experience and go to the Audience step.

Triggers

App Open, App Update, Custom Event, and Screenview are supported for all in-app experiences. Feature Flag Interaction Event is supported for In-App Automation and Scenes only.

App Open

The App Open trigger causes an in-app automation, scene, or survey to appear based on the number of times your audience opens your app.

Enter the number of times your audience must open your app to before the message will appear.

App Open display timing varies depending on whether users have opened the app before or currently have the app open. For a message with App Open value of 1:

  • If a user has never opened the app before, they will see the message the first time they open the app.
  • If a user has opened the app before and does not currently have the app open, they will see the message the next time they open the app.
  • If a user currently has the app open, the message will appear during the current session.
 Tip

If you are configuring a “Welcome” message intended to display when users first open your app:

If you want an onboarding message to appear the third time users open your app, set the App Open trigger value to 3.

App Update

The App Update trigger causes an in-app automation, scene, or survey to appear when your audience opens your app some number of times after an app update.

Configuration steps:

  1. Select All app updates or Specific app updates.
  2. Enter the number of times your audience must open your app before they will see your message.
  3. (For specific app updates) Set versions for each of your app’s platforms.
    • Select any version or the operator you want to use to evaluate specific version numbers.
    • If you selected an operator, enter the version numbers you want to evaluate against. For Android apps, enter the versionCode. You can find your app’s versionCode in your Google Play dashboard.
 Note

The Is between operator includes boundary values. For example, entering versions 4.3 - 5.1 includes 4.3 and 5.1.

Custom Event

The Custom Event trigger causes an in-app automation, scene, or survey to appear to your audience when custom events occur (or recur some number of times).

Custom EventsEvents that indicate that a user performed a predefined action, such as adding an item to a shopping cart, viewing a screen, or clicking an Unsubscribe button. Custom events can trigger automation, including Sequences, Scenes, and Surveys. You can code them into your app or website, or send them to Airship from an external source using the custom event API. Custom events contain properties that you can use to personalize messages. capture key events in your app, such as screen views, media views, stories read, button clicks, items purchased or added to cart.

Configuration steps:

  1. Search for an event. Results include events that occurred in the last 30 days. If the event name you search for does not appear, select Use [search term] to use the event name as entered.
  2. Enter the number of times the event must occur before the message will display.
  3. (Optional) Select Add Another to add more custom events. Multiple events are handled as a boolean OR.

Filtering Custom Events

When configuring the Custom Event trigger, you can filter custom events that are set on Channel IDsAn instance representing an entity addressable via the Airship service, e.g., an iOS device, email address, SMS number or web browser. The channel instance or channel object contains all relevant information about a channel, including metadata used for targeting, opt-in status, device-specific information, and, importantly, a unique identifier for the channel, the channel ID., using numeric values associated with those custom events, or by key/value properties attached to the events. Filtering events this way can help you more precisely target your audience.

For example, if you have a custom event named “Purchase”, with a purchase category fedoras and a value 125.0 representing the dollar amount of the purchase, you can add these criteria to the Purchase event so that your message is only seen by users spending at least $125 on fedoras.

 Note

  1. Select Add event properties for the custom event.
  2. Select Add property and search for a property or select Add event value.
  3. If applicable, select the operator you want to use to evaluate the value or property.
  4. Enter or select the value you want to filter for.
  5. (Optional) Select the plus icon () to add an alternative for a filter.
  6. (Optional) Select Add property or Add event value to add more filters.
  7. Select All or ANY to determine how to evaluate multiple filters and alternatives within each filter.
    • ALL = all criteria must be met (boolean AND)
    • ANY = any criteria must be met (boolean OR)
  8. Select Save.

Feature Flag Interaction Event

The Feature Flag Interaction Event trigger initiates an In-App Automation or Scene when a Feature FlagA toggle for controlling the availability of content or functionality in your app or website. interaction event occurs. The interaction event must be implemented for the app. See Interaction events in the Feature Flags guide.

Configuration steps:

  1. Search for a flag by name, display name, description, or status. Active, Scheduled, or Ended flags only. If you also selected a Feature Flag as the message audience, that flag will be preselected for the trigger, but you can select a different one.

  2. Select who can trigger the message display:

    OptionDescription
    Users with feature accessTrigger for members of the Feature Flag audience. When using the same flag for Audience and Trigger, you can only trigger for this group of users.
    Users without feature accessTrigger for users who are not members of the Feature Flag audience.
  3. Enter the number of times the event must occur before the In-App Automation or Scene is triggered.

 Important

Before making your In-App Automation or Scene active, verify there are no scheduling conflicts between the message and Feature Flag:

  1. Go to the composer’s Review step.
  2. Under Schedule, compare the start and end settings for the flag and message.

Screenview

The Screenview trigger causes an in-app automation, scene, or survey to appear when your audience views a screen a specified number of times. You must configure app screens in your project settings before you can select them as a trigger.

Configuration steps:

  1. Select Add a screen name.
  2. Search for the screen name.
  3. (Optional) Select Add another screen name if you want to trigger for multiple screens. Multiple screens are handled as a boolean OR.
  4. Enter the number of times your audience must view the screens before they will see your message.

Trigger Options

Configure additional behaviors for your In-App Automation, Scene, or Survey.

Cancellation Events

Cancellation events prevent the message from appearing if a specified custom event occurs. You must also specify at least one display condition.

Configuration steps:

  1. Enable Cancellation Events. In the Journey MapA visualization of messaging components that can be connected to create a continuous user experience. You can also create and edit from the map., you must set a display condition before you can enable Cancellation Events.
  2. Complete the same workflow used for the Custom Event trigger and optional filtering.

Set a Tag

The ability to set a tag when the message displays is key to promoting new features. The suggested approach is to display messages regarding a feature if the tag does not exist, and to then set the tag to record either the fact that the user has acknowledged the message, or to record actual usage of the feature.

  • If you are using localized content for in-app-automation, this setting is instead in the Actions step. * * For Scenes, this setting is instead available per screen in the Content step.
  • This setting is not available when configuring triggers in the journey map.

Configuration steps:

  1. Enable Set a tag.
  2. Search for tags that exist in the system or create a new tag.

Display Conditions

Display conditions determine whether or not your message displays after a trigger event occurs. The message does not display until your conditions are met.

In the composers, if you set a cancellation event, you must also set at least one display condition. In the Journey MapA visualization of messaging components that can be connected to create a continuous user experience. You can also create and edit from the map., you cannot enable Cancellation Events until you set a display condition.

Time Has Elapsed

Set the amount of time that must elapse after receiving the triggering event before your message is eligible for display.

Configuration steps:

  1. Enable Time has elapsed.
  2. Enter the minimum time in seconds or minutes.

Viewing a Specific App Screen

Limit message display to when a trigger occurs while your audience is viewing a specific app screen. You must first configure app screens in your project settings before you can select them as a condition.

Configuration steps:

  1. Enable Viewing a specific app screen.
  2. Select Add a screen name and search for a screen name.
  3. (Optional) Select Add another screen name to add additional screens. Multiple screens are handled as a boolean OR.