Add the m_app_return pixel, fired on every foreground return

PixelDefinitions/pixels/definitions/ntp_after_idle.json5

@@ -402,5 +402,59 @@
         "triggers": ["other"],
         "suffixes": ["form_factor"],
         "parameters": ["appVersion"]
+    },
+
+    // App-return pixel: fired on every foreground transition, ungated by any feature flag
+    "m_app_return": {
+        "description": "Fires on every foreground transition, ungated and launch-action-independent. Reports how long the user was away, the resolved idle threshold, and which Duck.ai capabilities are available. This is the denominator for every \"% of app opens\" panel.",
+        "owners": ["YoussefKeyrouz"],
+        "triggers": ["other"],
+        "suffixes": ["first_daily_count", "form_factor"],
+        "parameters": [
+            "appVersion",
+            {
+                "key": "time_away_bucket",
+                "type": "string",
+                "description": "Time away before reopening",
+                "enum": ["cold_start", "lt_1m", "1_5m", "5_15m", "15_30m", "30_60m", "gt_60m"]
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "exceeded_idle_threshold",
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "description": "Whether the time away exceeded the resolved idle threshold, reported even when the after-inactivity feature is ineligible"
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "idle_threshold_seconds",
+                "type": "integer",
+                "description": "The resolved idle threshold in seconds (user preference, remote-config default, or hardcoded default)"
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "after_inactivity_option",
+                "type": "string",
+                "description": "The effective after-inactivity opening setting",
+                "enum": ["new_tab_page", "last_opened_tab", "specific_page"]
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "feature_eligible",
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "description": "Whether the NTP-after-idle feature is available (remote flag on)"
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "unified_input_available",
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "description": "Whether the native input field capability is enabled for this user"
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "toggle_visible",
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "description": "Whether the resolved input-mode capability currently offers the Search/Duck.ai toggle"
+            },
+            {
+                "key": "launch_source",
+                "type": "string",
+                "description": "What triggered this foreground transition",
+                "enum": ["standard", "url", "shortcut", "widget", "other"]
+            }
+        ]
     }
 }

app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/BrowserActivity.kt

@@ -85,7 +85,10 @@ import com.duckduckgo.app.onboarding.ui.OnboardingActivity
 import com.duckduckgo.app.onboarding.ui.page.DefaultBrowserPage
 import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.AppPixelName
 import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.AppPixelName.FIRE_DIALOG_CANCEL
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.AppReturnPixelSender
 import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.BrowserModeSwitchSource
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.LaunchSourceValues
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.toPixelLaunchSourceValue
 import com.duckduckgo.app.settings.db.SettingsDataStore
 import com.duckduckgo.app.statistics.pixels.Pixel
 import com.duckduckgo.app.statistics.pixels.Pixel.PixelParameter
@@ -172,6 +175,9 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
     @Inject
     lateinit var dataClearerForegroundAppRestartPixel: DataClearerForegroundAppRestartPixel
 
+    @Inject
+    lateinit var appReturnPixelSender: AppReturnPixelSender
+
     @Inject
     lateinit var serviceWorkerClientCompat: ServiceWorkerClientCompat
 
@@ -246,6 +252,14 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
 
     private var instanceStateBundles: CombinedInstanceState? = null
 
+    /**
+     * The launch source extra from a genuinely new [Intent] delivery (fresh launch or [onNewIntent]),
+     * consumed by the next [onResume]. Not read off [getIntent] directly, since after process death the
+     * system replays the original Intent extras on recreation and a mutated (extra-removed) copy is never
+     * persisted for that replay.
+     */
+    private var pendingLaunchSource: String? = null
+
     /**
      * Holds an [Intent] that arrived in [onNewIntent] while [dataClearer] was still clearing,
      * deferred until it finishes. Read once by [BrowserStateRenderer.showWebContent] and cleared.
@@ -356,6 +370,9 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
 
         intent?.sanitize()
         logcat(INFO) { "onCreate called. freshAppLaunch: ${dataClearer.isFreshAppLaunch}, savedInstanceState: $savedInstanceState" }
+        if (savedInstanceState == null) {
+            pendingLaunchSource = intent?.getStringExtra(LAUNCH_SOURCE_PIXEL_VALUE)
+        }
         dataClearerForegroundAppRestartPixel.registerIntent(intent)
         renderer = BrowserStateRenderer()
         val newInstanceState = if (dataClearer.isFreshAppLaunch) null else savedInstanceState
@@ -577,6 +594,12 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
         }
     }
 
+    override fun onResume() {
+        super.onResume()
+        appReturnPixelSender.fireIfNeeded(pendingLaunchSource ?: LaunchSourceValues.STANDARD)
+        pendingLaunchSource = null
+    }
+
     override fun onStop() {
         openMessageInNewTabJob?.cancel()
 
@@ -604,6 +627,8 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
         logcat(INFO) { "onNewIntent: $intent" }
 
         intent.sanitize()
+        setIntent(intent)
+        pendingLaunchSource = intent.getStringExtra(LAUNCH_SOURCE_PIXEL_VALUE)
 
         intent.getStringExtra(LAUNCH_FROM_NOTIFICATION_PIXEL_NAME)?.let {
             viewModel.onLaunchedFromNotification(it)
@@ -1230,6 +1255,7 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
             intent.putExtra(DUCK_CHAT_SESSION_ACTIVE, duckChatSessionActive)
             intent.putExtra(DELETED_TAB_COUNT_EXTRA, deletedTabCount)
             intent.putExtra(LAUNCH_REQUIRES_REGULAR_MODE, launchSource.requiresRegularMode)
+            intent.putExtra(LAUNCH_SOURCE_PIXEL_VALUE, launchSource.toPixelLaunchSourceValue())
             return intent
         }
 
@@ -1252,6 +1278,12 @@ open class BrowserActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
          */
         const val LAUNCH_REQUIRES_REGULAR_MODE = "LAUNCH_REQUIRES_REGULAR_MODE"
 
+        /**
+         * The [BrowserLaunchSource], pre-mapped to its [LaunchSourceValues] pixel string. Read by
+         * [AppReturnPixelSender] for the `m_app_return` pixel's `launch_source` param.
+         */
+        const val LAUNCH_SOURCE_PIXEL_VALUE = "LAUNCH_SOURCE_PIXEL_VALUE"
+
         private const val OPEN_DUCK_CHAT = "OPEN_DUCK_CHAT_EXTRA"
         private const val CLOSE_DUCK_CHAT = "CLOSE_DUCK_CHAT_EXTRA"
         private const val DUCK_CHAT_URL = "DUCK_CHAT_URL"

app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/dispatchers/IntentDispatcherActivity.kt

@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import com.duckduckgo.app.browser.mode.ExternalUrl
 import com.duckduckgo.app.browser.mode.InAppNavigation
 import com.duckduckgo.app.dispatchers.IntentDispatcherViewModel.ViewState
 import com.duckduckgo.app.global.sanitize
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.AppReturnPixelSender
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.toPixelLaunchSourceValue
 import com.duckduckgo.common.ui.DuckDuckGoActivity
 import com.duckduckgo.customtabs.api.CustomTabsSessionRegistry
 import com.duckduckgo.di.scopes.ActivityScope
@@ -51,12 +53,17 @@ class IntentDispatcherActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
     @Inject
     lateinit var customTabsSessionRegistry: CustomTabsSessionRegistry
 
+    @Inject
+    lateinit var appReturnPixelSender: AppReturnPixelSender
+
     override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         // Sanitize before super.onCreate so lifecycle callbacks dispatched from there don't trip over
         // Parcelable extras whose classes are absent from our classpath.
         intent?.sanitize()
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
 
+        appReturnPixelSender.fireIfNeeded(ExternalUrl.toPixelLaunchSourceValue())
+
         logcat { "onCreate called with intent $intent" }
 
         lifecycleScope.launch {

app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/launch/LaunchBridgeActivity.kt

@@ -23,19 +23,27 @@ import com.duckduckgo.app.browser.BrowserActivity
 import com.duckduckgo.app.browser.R
 import com.duckduckgo.app.browser.mode.AppLauncher
 import com.duckduckgo.app.onboarding.ui.OnboardingActivity
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.AppReturnPixelSender
+import com.duckduckgo.app.pixels.toPixelLaunchSourceValue
 import com.duckduckgo.common.ui.DuckDuckGoActivity
 import com.duckduckgo.di.scopes.ActivityScope
+import javax.inject.Inject
 
 @InjectWith(ActivityScope::class)
 class LaunchBridgeActivity : DuckDuckGoActivity() {
 
     private val viewModel: LaunchViewModel by bindViewModel()
 
+    @Inject
+    lateinit var appReturnPixelSender: AppReturnPixelSender
+
     override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         val splashScreen = installSplashScreen()
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
         splashScreen.setKeepOnScreenCondition { true }
 
+        appReturnPixelSender.fireIfNeeded(AppLauncher.toPixelLaunchSourceValue())
+
         setContentView(R.layout.activity_launch)
 
         configureObservers()

app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/pixels/AppPixelName.kt

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import com.duckduckgo.app.statistics.pixels.Pixel
 
 enum class AppPixelName(override val pixelName: String) : Pixel.PixelName {
     APP_LAUNCH("ml"),
+    APP_RETURN_COUNT("m_app_return_count"),
+    APP_RETURN_DAILY("m_app_return_daily"),
     PROCESS_CREATED_MAIN("m_process_created_main"),
     PROCESS_CREATED_VPN("m_process_created_vpn"),
 

app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/pixels/AppReturnPixelParamRemovalPlugin.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 DuckDuckGo
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.duckduckgo.app.pixels
+
+import com.duckduckgo.common.utils.plugins.pixel.PixelParamRemovalPlugin
+import com.duckduckgo.common.utils.plugins.pixel.PixelParamRemovalPlugin.PixelParameter
+import com.duckduckgo.di.scopes.AppScope
+import com.squareup.anvil.annotations.ContributesMultibinding
+import javax.inject.Inject
+
+@ContributesMultibinding(AppScope::class)
+class AppReturnPixelParamRemovalPlugin @Inject constructor() : PixelParamRemovalPlugin {
+
+    override fun names(): List<Pair<String, Set<PixelParameter>>> {
+        return listOf(
+            AppPixelName.APP_RETURN_COUNT.pixelName to PixelParameter.removeAtb(),
+            AppPixelName.APP_RETURN_DAILY.pixelName to PixelParameter.removeAtb(),
+        )
+    }
+}