IssueTracker

Does this feature request already exist in the tracker? [ ] Yes [X ] No

Identify the developer feature that is most relevant to your feature request: [ ] Data API [ ] Admin API [X] Measurement Protocol [ ] BigQuery Export

Briefly describe the feature request. If end users will interact with this feature, describe the interaction and expected outcome.

Support full server-to-server (S2S) with the Measurement Protocol for GA4.

With the old Universal Analytics, the Measurement Protocol was supporting full S2S logging, allowing applications that were not able to use the standard SDKs (JavaScript, iOS, Android) to log complete data to Google Analytics. Example of such applications were: video games running on PC and consoles; IoT devices; desktop and server software without a direct client interaction; etc. In GA4 this feature is no more supported by the new Measurement Protocol, making impossible for such applications to send complete and correct data to Google Analytics. The support for S2S should include also the logging of all the standard events and user properties, to allow such applications to correctly feed all the available standard reports for the end users (like it was possible with the UA MP before).

We have an integration product for 3D real-time applications, that using the UA MP was allowing the developers to integrate Google Analytics into their softwares, also on platforms not supported by Google (e.g. Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, etc.). The product was mainly used by game developers and by customers of Google Clouds Immersive Stream for XR (streaming 3D applications from the Linux cloud infrastructure of Google). On such platforms and type of applications, it's not technically possible to use any of the provided standard SDK, and an open protocol based on HTTPS requests was the only option. Now this integration is no more possible, caused by the lack of S2S support by GA4 MP.

The data logged on Google Analytics with our product, in addition to provide insights on how users were interacting with the applications, were also driving business actions (e.g. spending on Google Ads). Now this is no more possible with GA4, since the GA4 MP is unable to provide a satisfactory integration into the Google Analytics front-end (e.g. most of the standard reports are not filled).

(Optional) How does this feature request affect Google Analytics users that use your application.

At the moment, following the technical inability to log data to GA4 from the cited platforms, all of our users switched from Google Analytics other analytics solutions.

(Optional) How does this feature request affect Google Analytics developers.

Google Analytics developers will be able to integrate applications, other than web pages and mobile apps, with GA4 using a portable and open protocol. This includes also applications from companies spending in Google Ads, that need data to drive their decisions (e.g. game developers and enterprises running interactive application on the Google Cloud Immersive Stream for XR infrastructure).

(Optional) What alternatives are you/your users using right now instead of the requested feature.

Our customers switched away from Google Analytics to other analytics providers that are supporting the required hardware and software platforms.

(Optional) If this feature request is not implemented, how would you address the issue at hand.

At the moment it's not possible to workaround the current limitations of GA4 MP, and since for our use-case is not technically possible to any one of of the provided SDKs then it's impossible to solve the issue.