Collection Settings allow you to manage the types of data that Unity will collect on your behalf. You can then manage how that data is used independently. Collection Settings work in conjunction with the specific Unity products and services you choose to use as a part of your project or game.

When you use a Unity product or service that requires Developer Data, you are allowing Unity to collect that data on your behalf, in accordance with your specific Collection Settings.

Essential Data is the minimum data Unity requires to deliver the products and services you’ve chosen to use. It includes crash logs, telemetry, configuration metadata, and other data Unity systems depend on to function reliably. Naturally, different services require different types of data, so what Unity collects on your behalf will vary depending on what you’re using.

Under the Developer Data framework, Essential Data collection begins whenever diagnostic data collection is enabled in the Unity Editor. For new Unity 6.2 projects and beyond, this is the default behavior—diagnostic data collection is turned on by default, meaning Essential Data collection starts automatically as soon as your project is cloud-connected to an app that’s live.

If you’ve upgraded an older project or manually disabled diagnostic data collection, Developer Data collection—including Essential Data—won't occur until you enable diagnostic data collection.

This is additional data Unity is able to collect for your benefit. It is not required to operate Unity services, but provides additional context that enables better diagnostics, smarter support, early access to Unity features, or that may otherwise be of value to you.

Examples include session metadata, experimental configuration states, and engine-specific runtime patterns that are only observable through Unity’s instrumentation.

The Developer Data framework is designed to put you in control of your data and Unity honors those controls. In the event that your specific intent cannot be determined, such as when you have not configured a setting, Unity attempts to interpret your intent conservatively. For example, in the event the Additional Recommended Data setting has not been configured, that data will not be collected. Once set, Unity will simply honor your instructions.