Why the timeline can skip

Session replay timelines may skip parts where there was little or no meaningful activity. This can happen when the visitor leaves the tab open, pauses reading, switches tabs, or does not interact for a period.

Skipping quiet periods makes replays easier to watch and reduces time spent staring at an unchanged page.

Inactive periods

If the visitor stops interacting, UserTrail may show the next meaningful event rather than playing every inactive second.

Examples of inactive periods:

• the visitor reads a page without moving
• the visitor switches to another browser tab
• the visitor leaves the computer
• the page remains open in the background
• the visitor pauses before returning later

Batched recording data

The tracker sends events in batches. If the browser delays a batch, the replay may appear to jump from one moment to another.

This is normal when browsers throttle background tabs or network conditions are slow.

Page navigation

When a visitor moves between pages, the replay may jump to the next page state. If a page loads very quickly or a route changes inside a single-page app, the transition may look compressed.

For single-page apps, make sure the tracking snippet remains active across route changes.

Browser throttling

Browsers reduce activity for background tabs to save resources. If a visitor switches tabs, timers and events may be delayed.

When the visitor returns, the replay may continue from the next recorded interaction.

When skipping indicates a problem

Timeline skipping may need investigation if:

• important interactions are missing
• the replay jumps over form submission
• page navigation is not captured
• the recording ends too early
• many sessions from the same browser show the same issue

Check the site installation, browser console errors, consent rules, and whether the page is unloading before final events are sent.

How to investigate

If a replay skips important moments:

1. Watch several sessions from the same page.
2. Filter by browser and device.
3. Check whether the issue happens on single-page app route changes.
4. Confirm the snippet is installed on all relevant pages.
5. Check for JavaScript errors in the website.
6. Review consent and tag manager rules.

If the issue appears only in one recording, it may be caused by the visitor's browser, network, or tab state.