com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox ?

[PROFRBcom]

We've started to get a lot of hits from this "referral" in our GA reports where as we'd never seen it before say, a month ago. What is this exactly? Is it some sort of GA spam or is this something legit? It's not a URL, b/c that doesn't resolve to anything...

Perhaps it's an android app? If this is the case, does that mean Google has started to send us more mobile traffic?

[wonderpunter]

I think it is from the play now box.. voice search

[PROFRBcom]

I asked an Android device and it says the same thing. Why I didn't think of that I don't know.

Question still remains though. Why are we all of a sudden getting traffic from that "referrer" when none existed before? It's only shown up for us in the last month or so. Has anyone else been getting hits from this in GA prior to that?

[Renee]

It could be the google widget that sits on a homescreen of the phone.

This is from mine:




Edit: Sorry I realised I posted while you were typing also.

It could be that a release of new phones has come out and they have changed the way it is called?

[PROFRBcom]

It could be that a release of new phones has come out and they have changed the way it is called?

That is possible. I know that Android 6.01 is still rolling out to Americans and we get mostly American traffic. Perhaps it's one of the phone carriers who just upgraded. As I'm searching here, I see Sprint, a US carrier, recently upgraded to the newest Android OS.

With that said, we never had anything remotely like this in GA referral leading us to believe we were getting mobile traffic in this fashion. Interesting. More study required

[Renee]

The HTC 10 just came out (that's what I have now) and it is on 6.0.1 Marshmallow. That could be it.

I can test for you if you want?