Track API in Mobile SDKs

Learn about the track API call in the Android (Kotlin) and iOS (Swift) SDKs.

  •   4 minute read  

This guide explains how to use the track API in the RudderStack Android (Kotlin) and iOS (Swift) SDKs.

Overview

The RudderStack Android (Kotlin) and iOS (Swift) SDKs provide a track API that lets you record the user’s actions along with any properties associated with them.

Android (Kotlin)

The track method definition in the Android (Kotlin) SDK is as follows:

analytics.track(
    name = "Product Added",
    properties = buildJsonObject {
        put("key", "value")
    },
    options = RudderOption()
)

The corresponding Java snippet is shown below:

HashMap<String, Object> properties = new HashMap<>();
properties.put("key", "value");

analytics.track("Product Added", properties, new RudderOption());

// Track event with event name
analytics.track(name = "Product Added")

// Track event with event name and properties
analytics.track(
    name = "Product Added",
    properties = buildJsonObject {
        put("key-1", "value-1")
    },
)

// Track event with event name and options
analytics.track(
    name = "Product Added",
    options = RudderOption(
        customContext = buildJsonObject {
            put("key-1", "value-1")
        },
        integrations = buildJsonObject {
            put("Amplitude", true)
            put("INTERCOM", buildJsonObject {
                put("lookup", "phone")
            })
        },
        externalIds = listOf(
            ExternalId(type = "brazeExternalId", id = "value1234"),
        ),
    ),
)

Method signature

The below table describes the track method signature in detail:

FieldData typeDescription
nameStringName of the event.
propertiesPropertiesAdditional properties describing the event that you want to send.

Note: The properties type in Java is Map<String, Object>.
optionsRudderOptionAdditional event options.

Example

A sample track event sent from the Android (Kotlin) SDK is shown below:

analytics.track(
    name = "Product Added",
    options = RudderOption(
        customContext = buildJsonObject {
            put("currency", "USD")
        },
        integrations = buildJsonObject {
            put("Amplitude", true)
            put("INTERCOM", buildJsonObject {
                put("lookup", "phone")
            })
        },
        externalIds = listOf(
            ExternalId(type = "brazeExternalId", id = "1hKOmRA4GRlm"),
        ),
    ),
)

Map<String, Object> customContext = new HashMap<>();
customContext.put("key", "value");

Map<String, Object> nestedIntegrations = new HashMap<>();
nestedIntegrations.put("lookup", "phone");
Map<String, Object> integrations = new HashMap<>();
integrations.put("Amplitude", true);
integrations.put("INTERCOM", nestedIntegrations);

List<ExternalId> externalIds = new ArrayList<>();
externalIds.add(new ExternalId("brazeExternalId", "1hKOmRA4GRlm"));

RudderOption option = new RudderOptionBuilder()
        .setIntegrations(integrations)
        .setExternalId(externalIds)
        .setCustomContext(customContext)
        .build();
        
analytics.track("Product Added", option);

iOS (Swift)

The track method definition in the iOS (Swift) SDK is as follows:

analytics.track(
    name: "Product Added",
    properties: [
        "key-1": "value-1"
    ],
    options: RudderOption()
)
warning
Make sure to include the import RudderStackAnalytics statement before making the call.

The corresponding Objective-C snippet is shown below:

[analytics track:@"Product Added"
      properties:@{
          @"key-1": @"value-1"
      }
      options:[[RSSOptionBuilder new] build]];
info
RSSOptionBuilder is an Objective-C–only helper class. It uses the builder pattern to create an RSSOption instance and lets you set custom context, configure integrations, and attach external IDs in a structured way.
// Track event with event name
analytics.track(name: "Product Added")

// Track event with event name and properties
analytics.track(
    name: "Product Added",
    properties: [
        "key-1": "value-1"
    ]
)

// Track event with event name and options
analytics.track(
    name: "Product Added",
    properties: [
        "key-1": "value-1"
    ],
    options: RudderOption(
        integrations: [
            "Amplitude": true,
            "INTERCOM": [
                "lookup": "phone"
            ]
        ],
        customContext: [
            "key-1": "value-1"
        ],
        externalIds: [
            ExternalId(type: "brazeExternalId", id: "value1234")
        ]
    )
)

The corresponding Objective-C snippet is shown below:

// Track event with event name
[analytics track:@"Product Added"];

// Track event with event name and properties
[analytics track:@"Product Added"
    properties:@{
        @"key-1": @"value-1"
    }];

// Track event with event name and options
RSSOptionBuilder *optionBuilder = [[RSSOptionBuilder alloc] init];

[optionBuilder setCustomContext:@{
    @"key-1": @"value-1"
}];

[optionBuilder setIntegrations:@{
    @"Amplitude": @YES,
    @"INTERCOM": @{
        @"lookup": @"phone"
    }
}];

[optionBuilder setExternalIds:@[
    [[RSSExternalId alloc] initWithType:@"brazeExternalId" id:@"value1234"]
]];

[analytics track:@"Product Added"
      properties:@{
          @"key-1": @"value-1"
      }
      options:[optionBuilder build]];

Method signature

The below table describes the track method signature in detail:

FieldData typeDescription
nameStringName of the event.
propertiesPropertiesAdditional properties describing the event that you want to send.
optionsRudderOptionAdditional event options.

Example

A sample track event sent from the iOS (Swift) SDK is shown below:

analytics.track(
    name: "Track at \(Date())",
    properties: [
        "key-1": "value-1"
    ],
    options: RudderOption(
        integrations: [
            "Amplitude": true,
            "INTERCOM": [
                "lookup": "phone"
            ]
        ],
        customContext: [
            "key-1": "value-1"
        ],
        externalIds: [
            ExternalId(type: "brazeExternalId", id: "value1234")
        ]
    )
)

RSSOptionBuilder *optionBuilder = [[RSSOptionBuilder alloc] init];

[optionBuilder setCustomContext:@{
    @"key-1": @"value-1"
}];

[optionBuilder setIntegrations:@{
    @"Amplitude": @YES,
    @"INTERCOM": @{
        @"lookup": @"phone"
    }
}];

[optionBuilder setExternalIds:@[
    [[RSSExternalId alloc] initWithType:@"brazeExternalId" id:@"value1234"]
]];

[analytics track:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"Track at %@", [NSDate date]]
      properties:@{
          @"key-1": @"value-1"
      }
      options:[optionBuilder build]];

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