Understanding Unique User Metrics in Mixpanel Analytics

bxor c.

When setting the metric to unique users, does it mean it filters by IP? or how does mixpanel filter by unique users?

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kapa.ai
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Hi bxor c., Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> 👋
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kapa.ai
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Mixpanel does not use IP addresses to filter for unique users. Instead, Mixpanel uses a more robust system to identify unique users. Here's how it works:1. For anonymous users, Mixpanel uses a $device_id to associate events with the same user Migrating from Adobe Analytics.2. When a user signs up or logs in, you can call the .identify(<user_id> ) method to map the known user_id to their $device_id Migrating from Adobe Analytics.3. Mixpanel calculates unique users based on the distinct distinct_id values (unique user IDs) that the events are related to Comparing Metrics.It's important to note that while Mixpanel does use IP addresses for geolocation purposes, it does not store the IP addresses themselves. The IP address is only used to derive geolocation data (city, region, country) upon ingestion, and then it's discarded IP address Parsing.For privacy concerns, you can also disable geolocation tracking or anonymize users:- You can disable geolocation tracking in various SDKs Disabling Geolocation. - To anonymize users, you can generate a hash of some unique ID of the user and use that hash as the user's ID when calling the .identify() method Anonymizing Users.In summary, Mixpanel's unique user identification is based on user IDs or device IDs, not IP addresses, providing a more accurate and flexible way to track unique users across different scenarios.
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