Overview
Triple Whale has updated how it defines a session to align more closely with the standard used by familiar analytics tools like Google Analytics (GA4) and Shopify. This makes your session-based metrics easier to trust and reconcile against the other tools you already use.
This article explains the new definition, what it affects, and how to move to it at your own pace.
Quick summary
Triple Whale now offers an updated, industry-standard session definition for session-based web-analytics metrics.
New businesses use the updated definition automatically.
Existing businesses stay on their current definition, now labeled Sessions (Legacy), and can switch to the updated definition whenever they're ready, from Attribution settings.
Switching only affects session-based web-analytics metrics (like bounce rate and pages per session). It does not change your attribution or revenue.
Key terms
Session: a single visit to your business. A group of a shopper's page views and events bundled together.
Sessions (Legacy): the original definition, tied to a browser tab.
Sessions (updated): the current industry-standard definition, based on a 30-minute inactivity window.
What is a "session," and what changed?
A session is a single visit to your business: a group of a shopper's page views and events bundled together. Session-based metrics such as bounce rate, pages per session, average session duration, conversion rate, and cost per session all depend on how the line is drawn between one visit and the next.
Triple Whale previously used its own tab-based definition of a session. We've now aligned with the industry-standard definition used by tools like GA4 and Shopify, based on a 30-minute inactivity window. The result: your Triple Whale session numbers line up much more closely with the analytics tools you already rely on.
Sessions (Legacy), the original definition
A session is tied to a browser tab.
A new session starts whenever the shopper arrives from a different ad, ad set, campaign, or source.
Sessions, the updated, standard definition
A session is a continuous visit, regardless of browser tab.
A session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. The next event after that gap starts a new session.
Matches how familiar tools like GA4 and Shopify define a session, so your numbers reconcile more cleanly across platforms.
Why we made this change: customers comparing Triple Whale to GA4 and Shopify saw large, hard-to-explain differences in session counts. The original tab-based definition could also produce mismatched math in some metrics, because the number of sessions and the per-session totals weren't always measured the same way. The updated definition fixes both by measuring everything at the same visit level.
Who gets which definition?
New businesses are set up on the updated definition automatically. No action needed.
Existing businesses continue on Sessions (Legacy) so nothing changes unexpectedly. You can switch to the updated definition at your own pace whenever you're ready. There's no deadline to move. You're in control of the timing.
What changes when you switch to the updated definition
These session-based metrics are recalculated using the updated, visit-level definition:
Bounce rate
Pages per session
Average session duration
Bounces / non-bounced visitors
Conversion rate (CVR)
Cost per session
You'll typically see these numbers move closer to your GA4 and Shopify reports.
What does not change
Attribution is unaffected. The channels, campaigns, and ads that get credit for your orders are calculated exactly as before. Switching your session definition never changes your attribution numbers.
Your underlying order and pixel data are unchanged.
Existing businesses stay on Legacy until you choose to switch. Nothing changes on its own.
How to switch (existing business with an active Triple Whale account prior to July 6, 2026)
Click on Marketing Acquisition
Go to Attribution and open More settings.
Find the session-definition setting.
Sessions (Legacy): the original tab-based definition (your current setting).
Sessions: the updated, standard 30-minute-inactivity definition.
Choose the updated definition to switch.
Your choice is saved per business and applies immediately everywhere these metrics appear: the Summary page, Web Analytics, Attribution Reports, and Moby.
On the Attribution page:
On the Summary page:
The setting can be adjusted in the "Web Analytics" section:
Tip: This setting controls session-based metrics only. If you want your Triple Whale numbers to reconcile with GA4 and Shopify, switch to the updated definition. If you have existing reporting or benchmarks built on the original numbers, you can stay on Legacy until you're ready to move.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change my attribution or revenue numbers?
No. The session definition only affects session-based web-analytics metrics (bounce rate, pages per session, session duration, CVR, cost per session). Attribution and order credit are unchanged.
Do I have to switch?
No. Existing businesses can stay on Sessions (Legacy) for the foreseeable future and switch whenever it suits you. New businesses use the updated definition from the start.
Will my GA4/Shopify and Triple Whale numbers now match exactly?
They'll be much closer. Small differences can remain because each platform collects and processes data slightly differently, but the large, structural gaps caused by different session definitions go away.
Is the change retroactive?
The setting changes how these metrics are calculated and displayed. It doesn't alter your underlying order or pixel data.
Where do I see the difference?
The Summary page, Web Analytics, and Moby all respect your setting. In the metric picker, the original metric appears as "Sessions (Legacy)."