Overview

The Mixpanel library for iOS is an open source project, and we'd love to see your contributions! We'd also love for you to come and work with us! Check out https://mixpanel.com/jobs/#openings for details. If you are using Swift, we recommend our Swift Library.

Check out our Advanced iOS - Objective-C Guide for additional advanced configurations and use cases, like setting up your project with European Union data storage.

Skip to a complete code example.

Quick Start Guide

Caution: From v4.0.0.beta.3 to v4.1.0, we have a bug that events with ampersand(&) will be rejected by the server. We recommend you update to v4.1.1 or above.

1. Install Mixpanel

You can install the Mixpanel iOS - Objective-C library by using CocoaPods or Carthage. You will need your project token for initializing your library. You can get your project token from project settings.

Installation Option 1: CocoaPods

If this is your first time using CocoaPods, Install CocoaPods using gem install cocoapods. Otherwise, continue to Step 3.
Run pod setup to create a local CocoaPods spec mirror.
Create a Podfile in your Xcode project directory by running pod init in your terminal, edit the Podfile generated, and add the following line: pod 'Mixpanel'.
Run pod install in your Xcode project directory. CocoaPods should download and install the Mixpanel library, and create a new Xcode workspace. Open up this workspace in Xcode or typing open *.xcworkspace in your terminal.

Installation Option 2: Carthage

Mixpanel supports Carthage to package your dependencies as a framework. Include the following dependency in your Cartfile:

github "mixpanel/mixpanel-iphone"

Check out the Carthage docs for more info.

Installation Option 3: Swift Package Manager

In Xcode, select File > Add Packages...
Enter the package URL for this repository and must select a version greater than or equal to v4.0.0

2. Initialize Mixpanel

To initialize the library, add `#Import "Mixpanel/Mixpanel.h" into "AppDelegate.m" and call sharedInstanceWithToken: with your project token as its argument in application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:.

#import "Mixpanel/Mixpanel.h"

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
...
  [Mixpanel sharedInstanceWithToken:@"YOUR_API_TOKEN" trackAutomaticEvents:NO];
...
}

See all configuration options

3. Send Data

Let's get started by sending event data. You can send an event from anywhere in your application. Better understand user behavior by storing details that are specific to the event (properties). After initializing the library, Mixpanel will automatically collect common mobile events. You can enable/disable automatic collection through your project settings. Also, Mixpanel automatically tracks some properties by default. learn more

Mixpanel *mixpanel = [Mixpanel sharedInstance];
[mixpanel track:@"Sign Up" properties:@{
  @"source": @"Pat's affiliate site",
  @"Opted out of email": @YES
}];

4. Check for Success

Open up Events in Mixpanel to view incoming events.

Once data hits our API, it generally takes ~60 seconds for it to be processed, stored, and queryable in your project.

Complete Code Example

Here's a runnable code example that covers everything in this quickstart guide.

#import "Mixpanel/Mixpanel.h"

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions {
...
  Mixpanel *mixpanel = [Mixpanel sharedInstanceWithToken:@"YOUR_API_TOKEN" trackAutomaticEvents:NO];
  [mixpanel track:@"Sign Up" properties:@{
    @"source": @"Pat's affiliate site",
    @"Opted out of email": @YES
  }];
...
}

FAQ

I want to stop tracking an event/event property in Mixpanel. Is that possible?

Yes, in Lexicon, you can intercept and drop incoming events or properties. Mixpanel won’t store any new data for the event or property you select to drop. See this article for more information.

I have a test user I would like to opt out of tracking. How do I do that?

Mixpanel’s client-side tracking library contains the optOutTracking() method, which will set the user’s local opt-out state to “true” and will prevent data from being sent from a user’s device. More detailed instructions can be found in the section, Opting users out of tracking.

Why aren't my events showing up?

To preserve battery life and customer bandwidth, the Mixpanel library doesn't send the events you record immediately. Instead, it sends batches to the Mixpanel servers every 60 seconds while your application is running, as well as when the application transitions to the background. You can call flush() manually if you want to force a flush at a particular moment.

[mixpanel flush];

If your events are still not showing up after 60 seconds, check if you have opted out of tracking. You can also enable Mixpanel debugging and logging, it allows you to see the debug output from the Mixpanel library. To enable it, set enableLogging to true.