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ou spend hours perfecting your ad creative and sharpening your copy.
The campaign launches, and the traffic starts flowing.
But then, you check the conversion data, and… it’s flat.
Is the messaging off? Is the offer weak?
Before you tear apart your strategy, you need to check the technical fundamentals.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the marketing; it’s that your “Submit” button doesn’t work on Microsoft Edge, or your font size is illegible on a specific mobile screen.
This is where the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Tech Details report becomes your best friend.
It’s not the flashiest report in the interface, but for troubleshooting user experience (UX) and salvaging revenue, it is essential. And I find it’s one clients ask about alot!
Locate the essentials: Find the Tech Details report under the ‘User’ collection to view browsers, devices, and screen resolutions.
Debug performance: Use the report to identify if specific browsers or devices are driving traffic but failing to convert (a red flag for UX bugs).
Spot the bots: Unusual screen resolutions can often indicate non-human traffic that skews your data.
Customise for speed: You can change the default dimensions to suit what your stakeholders actually care about, like ‘Device Category’.
If you are staring at the GA4 interface wondering where this report hides, you aren’t alone. It’s tucked away in the Standard Reports section.
If you can’t see it, and you have Editor or Administrator access, you might need to add the report manually via the Library.
But for most standard setups, it’s ready and waiting.
By default, this report usually loads with Browser as the primary dimension.
This shows you which browsers your visitors use—Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.
But the real value comes when you dig a bit deeper.
You can toggle this primary dimension (using the drop down button) to look at:
Why does this matter? Because aggregate data doesn’ tell the full story.
Your overall conversion rate might look fine, but if you segment by device, you might see that Desktop is converting at 5% while Mobile is sitting at 0.2%.
That isn’t just “user behaviour”—that is a potential technical barrier.
Let’s look at a scenario I see often.
You notice that your ‘Contact Us’ form submissions have dipped.
You open the Tech Details report.
You see that traffic from Safari is steady, but the Key Events (conversions) for Safari users have dropped to zero.
Meanwhile, Chrome users are converting as normal.
This is a smoking gun. It tells you that your form might be broken specifically for Safari users.
Pro Tip: Look at the relationship between Active Users and Engagement Rate. If a specific browser drives high traffic but has an abysmal engagement rate compared to the others, the site likely isn’t loading or functioning, forcing users to bounce immediately.
The same logic applies to Device Category. If you see that mobile traffic drives the bulk of your sessions but barely any revenue, you might have a responsive design issue. Perhaps the ‘Add to Basket’ button floats off-screen on smaller devices.
Screen resolution feels like a metric for web designers, not marketers.
But you should care about it for two reasons:
Readability: It ensures your site caters to the vast majority of your users. If your font size is 10px and most users are on high-res mobile screens, they can’t read your content.
Bot Detection: This is a neat trick. If you see a spike in traffic from a bizarre screen resolution (like 800×600 on devices that shouldn’t have it, or 0x0), you are likely looking at bot traffic. This helps you filter out noise when reporting on performance.
Most marketing directors don’t care about ‘Browser’ as a default view.
They want to know Mobile vs. Desktop immediately.
You don’t have to change this every time you load the report.
You can customise it.
If you have the right permissions, click the pencil icon (Customise report) in the top right.
You can switch the default primary dimension to Device Category. Save it, and now, every time you or your client logs in, the most relevant data is front and centre.
You can also strip out metrics you don’t use. If ‘Total Revenue’ isn’t applicable to your lead-gen site, remove it.
Add metrics that matter, like ‘Key Events‘ or ‘Engagement Rate‘, so the report is cleaner and easier to read.
The Tech Details report isn’t just about satisfying curiosity regarding Chrome vs. Firefox.
It is a diagnostic tool. It helps you ensure that the technical environment isn’t actively working against your marketing efforts.
By regularly checking how different devices and browsers perform, you can catch UX issues early, validate your mobile strategy, and ensure you aren’t wasting ad spend on traffic that physically cannot convert.
What to do next: Open your GA4 property right now. Go to the Tech Details report and switch the dimension to Device Category. Does the engagement rate on mobile match desktop? If there is a gap of more than 20%, it’s time to talk to your developer.
How do I check if my site is working on mobile using GA4?
Go to Reports > Tech > Tech Details. Change the primary dimension in the table to “Device Category”. Compare the “Engagement Rate” and “Key Events” (conversions) of Mobile vs. Desktop. A significant drop in mobile performance often suggests a UX issue.
Can I see exactly which mobile phone a visitor used?
Yes. In the Tech Details report, change the primary dimension to “Device Model”. This will list specific models (e.g., iPhone 14, Pixel 7). This is useful for spotting bugs on specific hardware.
Why is my ‘Browser’ report showing low conversions?
If one specific browser (e.g., Edge or Safari) shows low conversions while others are normal, it usually indicates a functional bug on your website with that browser, such as a broken form or button.

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Author
Hello, I'm Kyle Rushton McGregor!
I’m an experienced GA4 Specialist with a demonstrated history of working with Google Tag Manager and Looker Studio. I’m an international speaker who has trained 1000s of people on all things analytics.