Written by Pragmi
Key takeaways
- An MMP is an independent service that decides which ad or source gets credit for each install and in-app event.
- On Android it relies heavily on the Google Play Install Referrer; on iOS, most measurement goes through Apple’s privacy-preserving SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit.
- You need an MMP once you buy from several paid networks. With one or two sources, simple tracking links and your own analytics often do the job.
What is an MMP (mobile measurement partner)?
An MMP, or mobile measurement partner, is an independent company that tells app marketers which ad, network, or campaign brought each install and each in-app event. The app includes the MMP’s SDK, the MMP receives clicks and impressions from the ad networks, and it matches them to installs to decide who gets the credit. Well-known MMPs include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Branch, and Kochava.
The key word is independent. Every ad network would like to claim as many installs as possible. An MMP sits in the middle, applies one set of rules to every network, and gives you a single report you can trust, instead of five dashboards that together claim more installs than you actually got.
What an MMP does
- Attribution: credits each install, and later each re-engagement, to the source that earned it.
- In-app event tracking: records what users do after installing, such as finishing the tutorial, subscribing, or buying, and ties it to the original source.
- De-duplication: when several networks touched the same user, only one gets the credit, usually the last click within the lookback window.
- Postbacks to networks: tells each network which of its users installed and converted, so the network can optimize and bill.
- Cost and ROAS reporting: pulls in spend from networks so you can see cost per install, revenue, and ROAS by source in one place.
- Fraud protection: most MMPs offer tools that flag or reject installs from click spamming, fake devices, and similar patterns.
- Deep linking: many also send users to the right screen inside the app after they click an ad.
How mobile attribution works
- A user clicks or views an ad. The ad network records it and passes it to the MMP, usually through the MMP’s tracking link.
- The user installs the app from the store and opens it for the first time.
- The MMP’s SDK in the app reports the first open.
- The MMP looks back over recent clicks and views for the same user or device and credits the install to one of them, based on its rules.
- It sends a postback to the winning network and shows the result in your dashboard. Later in-app events are credited to the same source.
Lookback windows
A lookback window, also called an attribution window, is how long after a click or view an install can still be credited to it. Adjust, for example, documents a default of 7 days for clicks and 24 hours for impressions when it matches by device, and lets advertisers change the click window from 1 to 30 days. AppsFlyer also describes 7 days as its standard click window. Shorter windows credit fewer installs to ads, longer ones credit more, so always compare networks with the same settings.
Attribution on Android
On Android, the most reliable signal for installs from Google Play is the Google Play Install Referrer API. When an app is installed from Play, it can ask Google Play for the referrer URL of the install, along with timestamps for when the referring click happened and when the installation began. An MMP uses the campaign parameters in that referrer to match the install to the right click, and the timestamps help it spot installs claimed by clicks that came suspiciously late or early.
Attribution on iOS: ATT, SKAdNetwork, and AdAttributionKit
iOS measurement changed completely in 2021. Since iOS 14.5, apps need the user’s permission through the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt to track them across other companies’ apps and websites or to read the device’s advertising identifier (IDFA). Without that permission, Apple says, the identifier is all zeros. Many users decline, so device-level matching is no longer available for a large share of iPhone users.
For those users, measurement runs through Apple’s own frameworks:
- SKAdNetwork lets ad networks attribute installs through a signed signal from Apple, without identifying the user.
- AdAttributionKit, available in iOS 17.4 and later, builds on SKAdNetwork and is interoperable with it. From iOS 18 it can also measure re-engagement, when an existing user opens the app from an ad. Apple states that apps do not need the ATT prompt to use it, because it does not track individual users.
The trade-off is less detail: results arrive aggregated and delayed, not user by user. A large part of an MMP’s job on iOS is now to collect these signals, decode their conversion values, and combine them with the data from users who did allow tracking.
The major MMPs
Google Ads runs an App Attribution Partner program that certifies third-party app measurement. Its help page lists Adjust, Airbridge, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava, Singular, and Tenjin. All of them attribute installs and in-app events across networks. They differ in pricing, fraud tools, deep linking, data warehouse exports, and how they model iOS results, so compare them on your own needs rather than on a ranking.
Do you need an MMP?
| Your situation | What usually works |
|---|---|
| Organic growth only, or one paid source | Store consoles, your analytics tool, and campaign parameters in your links |
| Two or three sources, small budget | Distinct links and campaign names per source, or an entry-level MMP plan if the price fits |
| Several paid networks, meaningful spend | An MMP, so every network is judged by the same rules |
Whatever you choose, give every source its own link or campaign name, much like UTM parameters on the web. Then compare sources by retention and revenue, not only by cost per install. App retention benchmarks explains which numbers to watch.
Common mistakes
- Trusting each network’s own numbers. Add them up and they often exceed your real installs.
- Using different windows for different sources. A network with a 30-day window will look better than one with a 1-day window for the same users.
- Ignoring fraud signals. Installs that arrive seconds after a click, or clicks with no matching installs at all, are classic signs. See Ad fraud and bot traffic.
- Tracking installs only. Send in-app events too, or you will optimize for installs that never do anything.
Measuring Sharklio installs without an MMP
Sharklio does not integrate with any MMP, and there is no Sharklio SDK. Results are verified in other ways. In a task campaign, users send proof, such as a screenshot of level 5 with their player name, and you approve or reject each completion before you pay. In a click campaign, a click is credited only after the user has stayed on your page for the view time you chose, from 5 to 60 seconds, and passed our fraud checks. Because of this, installs from Sharklio will not appear in your MMP as attributed to Sharklio. To follow these users in your own data, ask for something you can match, such as the in-app username. The upside is that you check every result yourself before it costs you anything, so even a small first campaign gives you clean numbers. Sharklio has not opened yet; leave your email in the form at the bottom of this page and we will write once when it does. Until then, read Pay only for approved results.
Frequently asked questions
What does MMP stand for?
Mobile measurement partner, sometimes called a mobile measurement platform. It is an independent service that attributes app installs and in-app events to the ads and sources that drove them.
Is an MMP the same as an analytics tool?
No. Analytics tools focus on what users do inside the app. An MMP focuses on where users came from and which paid source gets credit, although the two overlap and are often used together.
Do MMPs still work on iOS after App Tracking Transparency?
Yes, but differently. For users who allow tracking, device-level attribution still works. For the rest, MMPs rely on Apple’s SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit, which report results in aggregate and with a delay.
What is the Google Play Install Referrer?
An API that lets an app installed from Google Play read the referrer URL of its install and the timestamps of the referring click and the install. MMPs use it to match Android installs to the right campaign.
Do I need an MMP for a small app?
Often not at first. With one or two traffic sources, distinct links, store console data, and your analytics tool are usually enough. An MMP becomes worth it when you buy from several paid networks.
