What is an in-app tooltip?
Used in a sentence: Let's add a tooltip on the new filter icon for users who have searched twice without ever opening filters.
How it works
A tooltip is a small bubble with a pointer that attaches to a specific UI element. It usually holds one line of text, sometimes a short title and a “Got it” button. The rest of the screen stays usable.
The SDK decides when to show it. Common triggers are a first visit to a screen, a feature release, or a behaviour signal such as a user scrolling past an element several times without tapping it. Once shown, rules mark it as seen so it does not return. It can also be hidden automatically for users who have already used the feature, which keeps it relevant to the people who need it.
Example
A quick commerce app adds a “schedule delivery” option next to the checkout button, but few users notice it. The growth team sets a tooltip on the new option that fires only when a user reaches checkout late at night, when slots are often full. The tooltip reads “Pick a morning slot here” and disappears once tapped. Users who have scheduled a delivery before never see it.
In-app tooltip vs coachmark
| In-app tooltip | Coachmark | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | One element | A guided sequence of steps |
| Screen | Stays usable | Often dims the background |
| Best for | A single new feature or icon | Onboarding or a multi-step flow |
A tooltip answers “what does this do?”. A coachmark answers “how do I get through this?”.
Best practices
- Keep the text under one line and start with a verb, such as “Tap to compare prices”.
- Trigger on behaviour that shows the user would benefit, not on every screen load.
- Stop showing the tooltip once the user has used the element.
- Track feature usage for users who saw it against a holdout, not just the dismiss rate.
How to do this with Digia Engage
A product team picks the screen and the element in Digia’s no-code visual builder, writes the copy and sets the trigger from events already tracked in CleverTap, MoEngage or WebEngage. Display rules, such as show once or hide after first use, sit in the same campaign. The tooltip goes live without an app release and can be edited at any time. See the formats on the in-app tooltips page.
Frequently asked questions
- When should you use a tooltip in a mobile app?
- Use a tooltip when a single element needs a short explanation at the moment it matters: a new feature, an icon whose meaning is not obvious, or a shortcut users keep missing. If you need to explain several elements in order, a coachmark tour is a better fit than a chain of tooltips.
- How do you stop tooltips from annoying users?
- Show each tooltip once per user, or only until they use the element it points to. Trigger it on relevant behaviour rather than on app open, avoid showing more than one tooltip on a screen, and never cover the element the user is trying to tap. Always give a clear way to dismiss it.
Related terms
Read more
Part of the In-app engagement glossary.