Troubleshooting Missing or Incorrect Analytics

This guide helps you diagnose and resolve issues with analytics data not appearing, appearing incorrectly, or failing to sync in Flightcast.

Table of Contents

• How Analytics Work in Flightcast
• Quick Diagnostics Checklist
• Chrome Extension Issues
• YouTube Analytics Issues
• Spotify for Creators Analytics Issues
• Analytics Migration Issues (Previous RSS Provider)
• Using the Diagnostics Page
• Advanced Troubleshooting
• Getting Further Help

How Analytics Work in Flightcast

Flightcast aggregates analytics from multiple sources to give you a unified view of your podcast's performance. Understanding how data flows into the system helps identify where issues might occur.

Analytics Sources

1. YouTube Analytics — Pulled via YouTube Data API using your connected YouTube account's OAuth credentials
2. Spotify for Creators Analytics — Pulled either via OAuth connection to Spotify for Creators or through the browser extension
3. Historical Analytics Migration — When migrating from another podcast host, historical data is imported from your previous provider using the browser extension

The Browser Extension's Role

The Flightcast browser extension is essential for certain analytics operations:

• Scraping historical analytics from your previous podcast host (Spotify for Creators, Transistor, Libsyn, etc.)
• Real-time Spotify for Creators analytics via session cookies
• YouTube Analytics import via YouTube Studio session

The extension works by leveraging your logged-in browser sessions to access analytics dashboards that don't have public APIs.

Quick Diagnostics Checklist

Before diving into specific issues, run through this checklist:

• [ ] Is the Flightcast browser extension installed and enabled?
• [ ] Is your browser up to date (Chrome/Chromium-based browsers work best)?
• [ ] Are you logged into the required platforms in the same browser?
• [ ] Flightcast
• [ ] YouTube Studio (for YouTube analytics)
• [ ] Spotify for Creators (for Spotify analytics)
• [ ] Your previous podcast host (for migrations)
• [ ] Have you connected your OAuth accounts in Flightcast Settings → Integrations?
• [ ] Is the extension showing any errors? (Check Settings → Diagnostics in your podcast settings)

Chrome Extension Issues

Extension Not Detected

Symptoms:

• "Extension not detected" message on the platform
• Import/sync buttons are disabled
• Settings → Diagnostics shows extension as not installed

Solutions:

1. Verify Installation

• Open chrome://extensions in your browser
• Look for "Flightcast" in the list
• Ensure it's enabled (toggle should be on)

2. Reinstall the Extension

• Remove the existing extension
• Download and install the latest version from the Chrome Web Store or Flightcast dashboard
• Refresh the Flightcast page

3. Check Browser Compatibility

• The extension works best with Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, Arc)
• Firefox and Safari are not currently supported

4. Disable Conflicting Extensions

• Ad blockers can sometimes interfere with extension messaging
• Try disabling other extensions temporarily to identify conflicts

Extension Errors in Diagnostics

Symptoms:

• Red error badges on the Diagnostics page (Settings → Diagnostics)
• Extension logs show specific error messages

Common Errors and Solutions:

Extension Version Mismatch

If you're experiencing issues after a Flightcast update:

1. Check your extension version in chrome://extensions
2. Compare with the latest version on the Flightcast dashboard
3. If outdated, uninstall and reinstall the extension

YouTube Analytics Issues

YouTube Not Connected

Symptoms:

• "Connect your YouTube account" prompt on analytics pages
• YouTube OAuth status shows as disconnected in Integrations

Solutions:

1. Connect via OAuth

• Go to Settings → Integrations → YouTube
• Click "Connect YouTube"
• Sign in with the Google account that owns your YouTube channel
• Grant the requested permissions

2. Verify Channel Access

• Ensure you're connecting with an account that has access to the target channel
• For brand channels, use the brand account email or switch to the brand account before connecting

YouTube Data Not Appearing

Symptoms:

• YouTube is connected but analytics show zero or no data
• Specific videos missing from analytics

Solutions:

1. Check Playlist Configuration

• YouTube analytics require a linked playlist
• Go to Settings → Integrations → YouTube and verify a playlist is selected
• If no playlist exists, create one on YouTube and add your podcast videos

2. Verify Channel Permissions

• The connected account must have at least "Viewer" access to YouTube Analytics
• For brand channels, ensure analytics permissions are enabled

3. Wait for Initial Sync

• First-time analytics sync can take 15-30 minutes for large channels
• Historical data may take several hours to fully populate

4. Check OAuth Token Validity

• Go to Settings → Diagnostics in your podcast settings to test the YouTube connection
• If the token is expired, disconnect and reconnect YouTube

YouTube Analytics Appear Incorrect

Symptoms:

• Numbers don't match YouTube Studio
• Missing time periods or videos

Possible Causes:

1. YouTube's Reporting Delay

• YouTube Analytics without the extension has a 48-72 hour delay for accurate data
• Recent videos may show incomplete metrics

2. Playlist vs Channel Mismatch

• Flightcast tracks playlist analytics, not full channel analytics
• Ensure all relevant videos are in your linked playlist

3. Multiple Channels

• If you have multiple channels, verify the correct one is connected
• Check the channel name in Integrations settings

Spotify for Creators Analytics Issues

Understanding Spotify Setup Types

Flightcast supports three Spotify configurations:

Spotify Not Connected

Symptoms:

• "Connect your Spotify account" prompt
• Spotify section shows as disconnected

Solutions:

1. Connect via OAuth

• Go to Settings → Integrations → Spotify
• Click "Connect Spotify for Creators"
• Sign in with your Spotify for Creators account
• Select your show when prompted

2. Verify Show Access

• You must have admin access to the show on Spotify for Creators
• If you're a collaborator, ask the show owner to connect instead

Spotify Analytics Not Syncing

Symptoms:

• Spotify is connected but analytics aren't updating
• Historical analytics missing

Solutions:

1. Verify Browser Login

• Open creators.spotify.com in your browser
• Ensure you're logged in with the same account connected to Flightcast
• Navigate to your show's analytics page to verify access

2. Check Extension Status

• The extension needs Spotify session cookies to fetch analytics
• Go to Settings → Diagnostics in your podcast settings and verify the extension can communicate

3. Check Show Type

• For Unhosted shows (RSS distributed), some analytics are limited
• Full retention and demographic data requires a Hosted show

Spotify Analytics Mismatch

Symptoms:

• Numbers differ from Spotify for Creators dashboard
• Missing episodes or date ranges

Possible Causes:

1. Spotify's Reporting

• Same-day metrics are estimates

2. Episode Matching Issues

• Episodes are matched by title or GUID
• If episode titles were changed after import, matching may fail
• Use the "Match Episodes by Title" feature in integrations

3. Historical Data Limits

• Spotify for Creators retains about 2 years of detailed analytics
• Older data may be summarized or unavailable

Analytics Migration Issues (Previous RSS Provider)

Supported Platforms for Migration

Flightcast can import historical analytics from these platforms:

Migration Not Starting

Symptoms:

• Clicked "Import Analytics" but nothing happens
• No progress indicator appears

Solutions:

1. Verify Previous RSS URL

• Your previous RSS URL must be set correctly in podcast settings
• This is used to identify which platform to import from

2. Log Into Your Previous Host

• Open a new tab and log into your previous podcast host
• Navigate to your show's dashboard to ensure session is active
• Return to Flightcast and try again

3. Check Extension is Active

• The extension popup should show it's connected to Flightcast
• If not, try refreshing the Flightcast page

Migration Stuck or Failed

Symptoms:

• Progress bar stopped moving
• "Import failed" error message
• Partial data imported

Solutions:

1. Check for Lock Conflicts

• Only one import can run per podcast at a time
• If a previous import crashed, the lock expires after ~10 minutes
• Wait and try again

2. Session Expired

• Long imports may outlast your session on the previous host
• Re-login to your previous host and restart the import

3. Rate Limiting

• Some platforms rate-limit analytics API calls
• Wait 15-30 minutes and retry
• For large podcasts, migration may take multiple attempts

4. Partial Success

• Some episodes may fail while others succeed
• Go to Settings → Diagnostics to check for specific errors in the extension logs
• Missing episodes can often be fixed by retrying

Unsupported Provider Warning

Symptoms:

• Yellow warning in extension logs: "Platform is not currently supported"

What This Means:

• Your previous RSS URL points to a platform we can't scrape analytics from
• You can still use Flightcast, but historical data won't be migrated

Alternatives:

• Export analytics CSV from your previous host (if available)
• Contact Flightcast support about manual import options

Using the Diagnostics Page

The Diagnostics page provides detailed insights into your integration health. To access it:

1. Navigate to your podcast in Flightcast
2. Go to Settings (in the podcast sidebar or top navigation)
3. Click Diagnostics in the settings navigation bar

You'll find it alongside other settings tabs like Podcast Details, Distribution, Directories, Integrations, and Billing.

What the Diagnostics Page Shows

1. Extension Status

• Whether the extension is installed and responding
• Extension version number
• Any errors or warnings the extension has logged

2. YouTube Connection

• OAuth connection status
• Connected channel information
• Playlist configuration

3. Spotify Connection

• OAuth connection status
• Show information
• Setup type (Managed/Hosted/Unhosted)

4. Browser Environment

• User agent string (helpful for support tickets)
• Network status
• Browser capabilities

Interpreting Extension Logs

The Diagnostics page (Settings → Diagnostics) shows recent errors and warnings from the extension in the "Extension Logs" section:

• Red (Errors) — Something failed and likely needs action
• Yellow (Warnings) — Non-critical issues, usually informational
• Blue (Info) — Status messages, usually not concerning

Logs are categorized by job type:

Copying Diagnostics for Support

The Diagnostics page (Settings → Diagnostics) has "Copy" buttons that let you easily capture:

• Browser environment info (user agent, screen size, etc.)
• Extension logs (errors and warnings)
• YouTube and Spotify connection configurations

Click these buttons and paste the copied text into your support ticket for faster troubleshooting.

Advanced Troubleshooting

Clearing Extension State

If the extension seems stuck or corrupted:

1. Open chrome://extensions
2. Find Flightcast extension
3. Click "Remove" to uninstall
4. Clear browser cookies for flightcast.com (Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data)
5. Reinstall the extension
6. Log back into Flightcast

Service Worker Console

For technical users, you can inspect extension behavior.

To see extension background logs:

1. Go to chrome://extensions
2. Find Flightcast extension
3. Click "service worker" link
4. Check the Console tab for errors

Forced Analytics Re-pull

If analytics seem stuck in a bad state:

1. Go to Settings → Diagnostics in your podcast settings
2. Note any errors in the extension logs
3. Clear the extension logs using the "Clear All" button
4. Go to Settings → Integrations and trigger a fresh import
5. Return to Settings → Diagnostics to monitor new logs for errors

Getting Further Help

If you've tried the above steps and still have issues:

1. Gather Information

• Screenshot of the Diagnostics page (Settings → Diagnostics)
• Use the "Copy" buttons to capture browser environment info
• Copy any extension errors/warnings from the logs
• Note what you've already tried

2. Contact Support

• Email: support@flightcast.com
• Include all gathered information
• Describe the expected vs actual behavior

3. Common Support Requests

• Manual data import for unsupported platforms
• Account connection issues
• Historical data recovery

Appendix: Error Reference

Updated on: 24/01/2026