Firebase Performance Monitoring sends performance and device data to Google LLC. It measures app startup, screen rendering, and network requests on real user devices and uploads the results, which is a third-party transfer you must disclose. Generate a full privacy policy with this clause built in →
Does Firebase Performance Monitoring need a privacy policy disclosure?
Firebase Performance Monitoring (often called Fireperf) is Google's SDK for measuring real-world app performance. Out of the box it collects automatic traces — app start time, foreground and background time, slow and frozen frames per screen — and, on mobile, HTTP/S network request traces: the URL, response code, payload size, and response time for outbound requests. It also gathers device and connection attributes (device model, OS version, CPU and memory, country, radio type or carrier, whether the app is in the foreground) so you can segment metrics, plus a Firebase installation ID (FID). Google uses the request IP address to derive a coarse geography and does not retain it for that purpose.
This data is transmitted to Google and stored in the Firebase console, with Google acting as your data processor under the Firebase Data Processing Terms. Performance Monitoring is not an advertising or attribution SDK, does not read the advertising identifier, and does not track users across apps. The main privacy risk is URLs. Firebase says it strips query parameters when it builds the aggregated, anonymized URL patterns shown in the console, and it aggregates by pattern rather than per user. But the SDK still transmits the request URL, and identifiers or personal data in the URL path (for example /users/user@example.com/orders) are not automatically removed.
What data does Firebase Performance Monitoring collect?
| Data type | Purpose | Linked to the user? | Used for tracking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic traces (app start, screen rendering, slow/frozen frames, foreground/background time) | Measure app responsiveness | No | No |
| Network request traces (URL, method, response code, payload size, latency) | Measure API performance | Possibly, if URLs contain personal data | No |
| Device attributes (model, OS version, CPU/memory, foreground state) | Segment performance metrics | No | No |
| Connection attributes (radio type, carrier, country) | Segment by network | No | No |
| Firebase installation ID (FID) | Rate-limit and attribute reports | No | No |
| IP address | Derive coarse country, then discarded | No | No |
| Custom code traces and custom attributes you add | Developer-defined measurement | Only if you put personal data in them | No |
The exact list depends on the developer's configuration and enabled features: whether you keep automatic network monitoring on, which endpoints your app calls, and what you attach as custom attributes. Attributes are limits-checked but not content-scrubbed.
Copy-paste privacy policy clause for Firebase Performance Monitoring
Performance monitoring (Firebase Performance Monitoring). This app uses
Firebase Performance Monitoring, a service provided by Google LLC, to measure
how the app performs on real devices. It collects performance data such as
app start-up time, screen rendering times, and the timing, size, and
response codes of network requests the app makes, together with device and
network information such as device model, operating system version, carrier,
and country, and a Firebase installation identifier. Your IP address is used
to determine an approximate country and is not retained for that purpose.
Network request URLs are collected but are aggregated into anonymized URL
patterns with query parameters removed. Google processes this data on our
behalf as our data processor to provide performance reporting. For more
information see https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy and
https://policies.google.com/privacy. Contact us to request deletion of data
associated with your installation.Adapt this: if you disable automatic network request monitoring or gate the whole SDK behind consent, say so; if you add custom attributes, describe them. The FID can be deleted through the Firebase Installations API. This is not legal advice; you are responsible for accuracy.
App Store "App Privacy" label answers
Firebase's FirebasePerformance.xcprivacy declares Performance Data and Other Diagnostic Data. In App Store Connect declare:
- Diagnostics > Performance Data — App Functionality (or Analytics) — Not Linked — Not used to track.
- Diagnostics > Other Diagnostic Data — App Functionality — Not Linked — Not used to track.
- Identifiers > Device ID — the Firebase installation ID — App Functionality — Not Linked — Not used to track.
- If your monitored URLs or custom attributes can contain user identifiers, review whether the relevant category becomes Linked to the user.
NSPrivacyTrackingis false; do not declare tracking for Performance Monitoring alone.
Google Play Data Safety answers
- App info and performance > Diagnostics — Collected: Yes — Shared: No — Purpose: App functionality, Analytics — user deletion supported via the Installations API.
- Device or other IDs — Collected: Yes (Firebase installation ID) — Shared: No — Purpose: App functionality — not "processed ephemerally" (metrics are stored, about 90 days).
- App activity or Web browsing — generally No, but if a monitored URL path reveals what a specific user did, disclose accordingly.
- Location > Approximate location (country) — derived from IP for segmentation; the IP is not retained, so many developers do not declare Location, but be conservative if your setup differs (uncertain).
Firebase Performance Monitoring-specific gotchas
- Automatic network request monitoring captures every outbound URL — if any endpoint puts an email, token, or ID in the path (not just the query string), that value is transmitted to Google even though the console view hides query parameters.
- Query-parameter stripping applies to the aggregated pattern shown in the console, not necessarily to what the SDK sends; treat URL paths as the thing you must keep clean.
- The SDK is on by default once added; disable it at build time (
firebase_performance_collection_enabled/setPerformanceCollectionEnabled(false)) or at runtime to gate it behind consent. - The Firebase installation ID (FID) is shared with other Firebase products (Crashlytics, In-App Messaging, Remote Config) — deleting it affects all of them.
- Custom attributes are capped in number and length but not scanned for personal data; do not attach user IDs or emails.
- "Country" segmentation means an approximate-location signal is leaving the device even though you never requested a location permission.
- Data collection can start before your consent dialog renders if the SDK initializes at app launch — verify initialization order.
Related
See the sibling clauses for Firebase Crashlytics, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Sentry, and OneSignal. To assemble these into one document, use the privacy policy page generator or the Firebase privacy policy generator.