How Do Android Subscription Lifecycle Events Work in Firebase Analytics? (SDK vs Play Integration + subscription_convert Behavior)

[ibrahimdevs]

Hi everyone,
I have a question regarding how subscription lifecycle events are handled on Android in Firebase Analytics, especially compared to iOS.

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1. Are subscription events on Android sent by the SDK or processed through Google Play integration?

I would like to understand the underlying mechanism:

• Does Firebase log Android subscription lifecycle events directly from the device via the SDK?
• Or does Firebase receive subscription status information server-to-server from Google Play, and then process events independently of whether the user opens the app?

This distinction is important because it affects whether certain subscription events depend on app opens.

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2. How does subscription_convert work on Android? Does it require an app open?

Let’s assume the event is triggered from the SDK (client-side).
If so, I would expect the following behavior:

Example scenario:

• Today, 10 users convert from trial to paid.
• Only 6 of them open the app afterward.
• 4 users never open the app again after starting their trial.

In this case, would Firebase log subscription_convert only for the 6 users who open the app?
Or does Firebase still receive the conversion data from Google Play and log the event regardless of whether the app is opened?

This behavior seems different from iOS, where events like app_store_subscription_convert rely on the user opening the app because they are SDK-triggered.

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Thank you!

Understanding this difference is crucial for planning my Google Ads campaign event strategy, so any clarification would be highly appreciated.
@rlazo @vkryachko @mrober