Why does my user show active subscription but no data in the dashboard?

Understanding How Superwall Tracks Subscriptions

Superwall uses two different sources of truth for subscription data:

1. On-Device Subscription Status (SDK)

The SDK determines subscription status by reading the local Apple receipt directly from StoreKit. This receipt is tied to the user's Apple ID, not their Superwall user ID.

If there's a valid subscription receipt on the device, the SDK will report subscriptionStatus = active, regardless of which Superwall user ID is currently active.

2. Dashboard Attribution (Server-Side)

The dashboard displays subscription data (entitlements, Apple server events, webhooks, receipts) that is attributed to a specific Superwall user ID. This attribution happens at the time of purchase. Whichever user ID was active when the transaction occurred is the one that gets linked to the subscription data.

The Most Common Cause

When you see an active subscription on device but nothing in the dashboard, it almost always means:

The subscription was purchased under a different Superwall user ID than the one you're currently looking at.

This can happen when a user:

• Reinstalls the app (generates a new anonymous user ID)
• Logs out and back in (may generate a new user ID depending on your implementation)
• Switches accounts
• Had their identity reset for any reason

The subscription remains valid because Apple validates it against the user's Apple ID. But all the purchase events, webhooks, and server notifications are attributed to the original user ID that was active at purchase time.

Example Scenario

1. User installs your app and gets assigned anonymous user ID abc-123
2. User purchases a subscription. All events are attributed to abc-123
3. User deletes and reinstalls the app
4. User gets assigned a new anonymous user ID xyz-789
5. The subscription is still valid (same Apple ID), so the SDK shows active
6. But the dashboard shows nothing for xyz-789 because the subscription belongs to abc-123

How to Verify This

If you suspect this is happening:

1. Check the "Customer Info" section in the dashboard for the user. If it shows subscription status as active but no entitlements, this confirms the SDK is reading a valid receipt
2. The subscription data exists, it's just linked to a different user ID
3. If you have access to your server logs or Apple's App Store Connect, you can try to find the original transaction and trace it back to the original user ID

How to Prevent This

To maintain consistent attribution across user sessions:

• Call Superwall.shared.identify(userId:) with a stable user ID from your own authentication system as early as possible, ideally before any purchases occur
• Use the same user ID consistently across reinstalls and devices
• If your app supports account creation, identify users immediately after they sign up or log in

Key Takeaways

• Active subscription + no dashboard data = purchased under a different user ID
• The subscription is valid and working correctly
• This is expected behavior, not a Superwall bug
• The SDK uses the Apple receipt (tied to Apple ID) for access control
• The dashboard uses attribution data (tied to Superwall user ID) for reporting
• These are intentionally separate to ensure users never lose access to their purchases