The metrics box on top shows the total Unique Returning Users. However, the graph and table show Returning Users by date.

What's the difference?

Unlike the other data types, the total number of Unique Returning Users is not the sum of the number Returning Users on each specific date.

Let's consider a simple example to understand why. Suppose...

• Time period selected = week (7 days)
• Total number of Unique Returning Users = 1
• This user opened your app everyday during the 7 days

Unique Returning Users
Unique Returning Users is the number of devices on which your app was opened for the second or greater time. Even though this user opened your app everyday during the 7 day period, they are only counted once in the total of Unique Returning Users. In other words, during the 7 days, only one device opened your app for the second or greater time.

Returning Users
Now let's consider what happens on each date separately. On Monday, one device opened your app for the second or greater time. Similarly, on Tuesday, one device opened your app for the second or greater time. And so on for the remaining 5 days. The graph and breakdown table of Returning Users by date will show that on each day, one device opened your app for the second or greater time. If we add up the number of Returning Users on each day that week, it adds up to 7.