Google’s Universal Analytics 3 (UA3) is still collecting data for most UA3 profiles, even after the supposed deadline of July 1st. Despite the announcement from Google that they would be shutting down UA3 and urging users to transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), data collection seems to be ongoing for many profiles.
An informal poll I conducted last week received over 400 responses, with 17.6% of participants claiming that their data collection had been shut down. This percentage is surprisingly high considering the observations from my own profiles and reports on Twitter. It is possible that some respondents may have been confused while filling out the poll, or perhaps their UA3 tracking code was inadvertently removed by their developers.
Has anyone's Universal Analytics 3 properties shut down yet? Showing zero real-time data?
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) July 6, 2023
Alternatively, it is also plausible that some users, including myself, have simply been fortunate enough to avoid the shutdown thus far. However, it remains to be seen whether Google will take action to shut down data collection for all UA3 profiles in the near future.
Google did mention in their communication that they have initiated the process of shutting down Universal Analytics in favor of Google Analytics 4. They acknowledged that this transition would not occur overnight and that some UA3 properties might continue to process data for a period of time. However, Google assured users that all properties have been added to the queue, and those that have not completed the upgrade will eventually undergo the transition on a rolling basis.
Therefore, while it may be taking longer than expected, it is still anticipated that data collection for UA3 profiles will cease as Google continues to implement the shutdown and encourages users to migrate to the newer GA4 platform.
Forum discussion on Twitter.
