Monthly active user data unserstanding

[fern1]

We are trying to calculate our MAU, and for that, we are considering unique visitors and filtering it with "excluding 1st visit" segment:

However, I'm seeing a different number when I look a single month and with many months:
Feb only

January until today

The Feb values are different when looking at the month alone and looking at it with other months included. Why?

If I don't use the segment, this difference doesn't happen.
Thanks in advance

[Jennifer_Dungan · Accepted solution]

Hi, "does not equal" is a bit different than "excludes".... Users who came back in March (i.e. have another value other than 1) are now being counted.... The visitor as a whole is now included in your numbers

Also, I would think it would be better to exclude visits where visit number is 1.... Rather than exclude the entire visitor... If that visitor comes back in your report period, you would want to include them.

[fern1]

Thank Jen! 

in our case, we want to exclude visitors (users) whose total (All-time) visit count = 1.. 
So if in a month the user only went to the app once, we don't count him as active... but if she/he goes more than 1 he/she is active. Same for all time (yearly basis).

We only want to start counting the user after the moment they perform their second visit

[Jennifer_Dungan]

yes.. I get that... the problem is, if you are looking at Active users for a year... if any visit was their first, you are excluding them from the entire year... even IF they came back.

Your report already uses the UV metric... if that user only ever comes to the site one, that visit (and subsequently that user will still be excluded from your report... but you can use ANY time frame)... if the user comes back, that visit (and user) will now be included.....

But you should also consider this... you are talking about excluding first time ever users... but not users who return after 2 years / 1 year / 6 months? Do you consider those "active users"?