AppsFlyer. Mobile app analytics tool

In this article, I discuss mobile app analytics, and more specifically, the tool that has changed my approach to campaign optimization – AppsFlyer. If you are investing in app marketing and wondering which of your activities actually bring in the most valuable users, this article is for you. Imagine a situation where you’re spending significant budgets to acquire installs, but have no idea which of those installs are translating into real revenue and in-app activity. This is precisely the challenge that AppsFlyer addresses.

My understanding of this tool and the way it presents data is groundbreaking for effective app marketing, as it differs significantly from the typical web-based approach known from GA4, for example.

What is AppsFlyer and why is it crucial for your app?

AppsFlyer is a mobile analytics tool that we refer to by the acronym MMP, or Mobile Measurement Partner. AppsFlyer is a platform that measures and attributes user and user activity within the app itself, integrating data from multiple traffic sources – from Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, to your own channels such as your website or newsletter. This is a solution to the problem of „external silos” of data, where you have to look at data from Google in one place and from Meta in another. Without AppsFlyer, even if you can see what generates traffic and installs, you may not know the full user path or whether high budgets on low-cost install platforms actually translate into subsequent activity, retention and revenue. In my opinion, this is key to achieving business efficiency because it allows you to monitor not only the cost of an action or installation, but more importantly the lifetime value that the user builds.

What are the most important features of AppsFlyer?

AppsFlyer offers a number of features that go beyond basic channel attribution and give us a powerful tool for deep analytics:

• Granular channel attribution: With AppsFlyer, you know exactly where your users are coming from – not only from which campaigns, but also from which ad groups or types of targeting. You can go down to a very high level of detail, which is invaluable for optimization.
• Life Value (LTV) Analysis: What a user does in an app immediately after installation is important, but the true value is measured long-term. AppsFlyer allows you to analyze a user’s entire journey – whether they buy, register, repeat actions – throughout their lifetime in the app.
• Support for iOS tracking restrictions (SKAdNetwork): In an iOS environment where tracking consent is often limited (typically only 20-30% of users agree), AppsFlyer addresses this challenge with its SKAN configuration. It provides estimated traffic monitoring, even for users who have not consented to tracking, allowing you to collect data and combine it with data from those who have consented, creating Single Source of Truth (SSOT).
• OneLink – integrated traffic source management: This tool allows you to generate unique tagging links for different sources, for example, to measure the effectiveness of influencer partnerships. This allows you to see exactly how traffic from such partnerships affects installations and revenue.
• Access to raw data: If you have a specific idea about user tracking, AppsFlyer gives you access to raw data.
• Campaign cost tracking: You can analyze the cost of customer acquisition or the cost of a specific event directly in AppsFlyer.

Alternatives of AppsFlyer

The natural step for many people is to look at data in app consoles, such as Google Play Console or App Store Connect. Unfortunately, these tools offer data only up to the point of installation and are rather illustrative, providing little information.

Of course, there are other MMP-type tools such as Adjust, Kochava or Tune that work in a similar way. You can also use native SDKs to track conversions (e.g., Meta SDK, TikTok SDK), but here there is a big problem: each tool requires a separate code plug-in for the application and has its own way of working and attribution definitions, which generates a lot of downsides and discrepancies. We also have Google Analytics 4, which is an app analytics tool, but does not integrate directly with platforms like Meta or TikTok, which significantly hinders analysis campaigns applications. AppsFlyer solves these problems by providing a central, consistent source of data.

How does AppsFlyer understand data? The difference between Activity and LTV

This is absolutely the most important issue to understand in AppsFlyer, because the way data is reported is different from what we know from GA4. Most reports in AppsFlyer present data in a LTV (Lifetime Value) model. This means that the data is built over time and updated up to the point at which we view the reports. For example, if we analyze data from the month of January, but perform the analysis on June 9, we will see all the conversions and activity that occurred from installations acquired in January, but which were performed up to June 9. Our goal here is the long-term effect from the acquisition, not what the user did immediately after the installation.

The only place where the data is presented in a GA4-like model (i.e., activity in a given period, regardless of the installation date) is in the Activity tab. Let me use an example from the video:

• Imagine that Google Ads campaigns generated about 43,000 revenue from March installations, counting LTV (through June 9).
• All in all, 600,000 in revenue if we take into account all the conversions that occurred in March (Activity tab).

Do you see the cosmic difference? The Activity tab takes into account all previous installations, while LTV only takes into account traffic from installations from the selected period. That’s why it’s so important to understand how the data is reported in AppsFlyer in order to draw the correct conclusions.

Data Optimization and Report Personalization

To get the most out of AppsFlyer, it’s essential to fully tag and integrate channels. If this is not done, most of the traffic will go to „Organic,” and there will be little value in the reports. Campaigns from Google, Meta, TikTok or Snapchat integrate almost 100% with AppsFlyer, allowing detailed tracking of costs, clicks, impressions, installs and events. Organic traffic (e.g., from the website or social media) needs to be tagged in advance with the right links in order to properly read the reports.

What’s more, AppsFlyer offers standard dashboards that we can willfully modify and personalize. Thanks to its widget system, we can move data around, change metrics and chart types, making it a plug-and-play tool, but also one that offers great customization options to suit our goals.

Summary: what do you gain by implementing AppsFlyer?

With AppsFlyer, you gain the ability to makeinformed business and marketing decisions based on hard data. No more guesswork and intuition – you know exactly how much you’ve spent, on what user, and what you get business from it. This allows you to allocate your marketing budgets much better, directing funds to where you will get the greatest return on investment, not just in the here and now, but in a long-term (LTV) approach. You’ll understand what brings long-term user value, optimize campaigns, get access to clean data, and better measure the user from iOS devices.

If the topic of advanced mobile analytics using AppsFlyer has interested you and you want to explore it further or validate it in your projects I encourage you to contact the Up&More team.