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Change in Anonymous User ID System at kapa.ai: From anonymous to $device

kapa.ai In the beginning our anonymous users had a distinct id that included "anonymous", but now they have a distinct id with $device - Why is that?

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kapa.ai
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Please stand by Moritz H. as I search the knowledge base. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
kapa.ai
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The change you’re seeing—from anonymous users having a distinct_id like "anonymous..." to one prefixed with "$device:" (e.g., "$device:anonymous111")—is due to how Mixpanel’s Simplified ID Merge API handles anonymous user identification.With the Simplified ID Merge API, Mixpanel uses the $device_id property to track anonymous users. When an event is sent with only a $device_id (and no $user_id), Mixpanel automatically sets the distinct_id to "$device:{device_id}". This is a deliberate design to clearly distinguish anonymous device-based IDs from identified user IDs. For example: LBKS{ "event": "View Anonymous Page", "properties": { "token": "{{token}}", "$device_id": "anonymous111" } } // Mixpanel sets: "distinct_id": "$device:anonymous111"LBKSIf you previously used a different ID convention (like just "anonymous...") for anonymous users, the switch to the "$device:" prefix likely coincided with a migration to the Simplified ID Merge API or an update in your implementation to follow Mixpanel’s current best practices. This prefixing helps Mixpanel distinguish between device-based (anonymous) and user-based (identified) IDs, ensuring more accurate identity management and merging behavior Understanding Simplified ID Merge.In summary: Anonymous users now have a distinct_id prefixed with "$device:" because Mixpanel’s Simplified ID Merge API automatically applies this format to all anonymous device IDs for clarity and consistency Identifying Users (Simplified).
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