Written by Krisztián Stark
Key takeaways
- Attribution is the set of rules that decides which ad, if any, gets credit for an install or an in-app action.
- Most mobile attribution is last touch with clicks ranked above views, and the window you choose changes how many installs each network gets.
- Since ATT, iOS installs from users who do not opt in are measured through aggregated Apple frameworks, so results are delayed and less detailed.
What is attribution in mobile marketing?
Attribution is the process of deciding which ad or marketing source gets credit for a result, such as an app install, a sign-up, or a purchase. When a user saw a video ad on Monday, clicked a banner on Wednesday, and installed on Thursday, attribution is the rulebook that says whether the banner, the video, or neither caused the install.
It matters because the answer decides where your budget goes. Networks are paid, and campaigns are scaled or paused, based on the installs and events credited to them. Two tools with different attribution rules can show very different results for the same campaign.
Attribution models: last click, view-through, and others
| Model | Who gets credit | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Last click | The last ad the user clicked before converting | The default for most mobile app attribution |
| View-through | The last ad the user saw, when there was no click in the window | Video and playable ads, usually with a much shorter window |
| First touch | The first ad or source the user met | Brand and awareness analysis |
| Multi-touch | Credit is split across several touchpoints | Web analytics and longer purchase journeys |
In practice, mobile attribution is usually last touch with clicks first: the most recent click wins, and a view only counts when there was no click. Apple’s own frameworks follow the same order. Its AdAttributionKit documentation says click-through ads always take precedence over view-through ads, and that within each group the most recent one wins.
Illustrative journey: one install, three answers
A user watches a video ad for a game on day 1, clicks a banner for it on day 3, and installs on day 4. With last click and a 7-day click window, the banner network gets the install. Under first touch, the video network gets it. Now suppose the install happens on day 12 instead: the banner click is 9 days old, outside the 7-day click window, and the video view is far outside a 24-hour view window, so the install counts as organic. Same user, three different reports.
Attribution windows
An attribution window, also called a lookback window, is how long after a click or a view an install can still be credited to it. Longer windows credit more installs to ads; shorter ones credit more to organic. Typical settings are a click window measured in days and a view window measured in hours.
Apple publishes its defaults. In AdAttributionKit, view impressions are valid for 1 day and click impressions for 30 days by default, and an app can configure them from 1 to 7 days for views and 1 to 30 days for clicks, globally or per ad network. Measurement partners have their own defaults, covered in What is an MMP?. Always compare networks with the same window, and see What is a conversion window? for the related time limit on in-app events.
Who does the attribution
- Ad networks report their own conversions. Their numbers are useful, but each network judges itself, so totals across networks often add up to more than your real installs.
- Mobile measurement partners (MMPs) sit in the middle. Their SDK in your app sees the install, compares it with clicks and views from every network, and credits one winner. That neutral view is the main reason apps use them.
- Server-to-server tracking covers campaigns where a click ID is passed through to your server, which reports the result back to the network. It is common on the web and in offerwalls, and it does not need an SDK. Server-to-server tracking explains the round trip, and click ID and sub ID covers the parameters.
How privacy changes reshaped attribution
iOS. Since iOS 14.5, apps need permission through App Tracking Transparency (ATT) to track users across other companies’ apps and websites or to read the advertising identifier. For users who decline, matching a click to an install at the device level is no longer allowed. Apple’s developer guidance also rules out fingerprinting as a replacement. Measurement for those users runs through SKAdNetwork and its successor AdAttributionKit, which send delayed, aggregated postbacks without user-level data. Those postbacks carry a conversion value and a source identifier of up to four digits, plus details such as the publisher app and country only when enough users share them.
Android. The Google advertising ID is still available unless the user deletes it, and the Google Play Install Referrer API lets an app read which referrer led to its install from Google Play. Google had been building privacy-preserving replacements under the Privacy Sandbox for Android, but in an October 2025 update it announced the retirement of several of those technologies, including the Attribution Reporting API on Chrome and Android, citing low adoption. GAID and IDFA covers the identifiers.
The result is that attribution is now more of an estimate on iOS than it used to be, and many advertisers lean on pricing that does not depend on it, such as paying per confirmed result.
Common attribution mistakes
- Adding up installs reported by each network and treating the total as real.
- Comparing channels that use different attribution windows.
- Counting view-through installs from ads users barely saw as fully paid results.
- Reading an iOS campaign the next day, when aggregated postbacks are still on the way.
Attribution with a confirmation step on Sharklio
Sharklio offer campaigns pay only when your own server confirms a step with a postback for that user’s click, so you decide what counts as a result. Task campaigns pay only for completions you approve from the proof users send. In both cases you pay per result, so a disagreement between attribution tools does not change your bill. See how Sharklio works or start at Sharklio for advertisers.
Related terms: SKAdNetwork and ATT and deep links.
Frequently asked questions
What does attribution mean in mobile marketing?
It is the process of deciding which ad or source gets credit for an install or an in-app event, so you know which campaigns work and what to pay networks.
What is the difference between click-through and view-through attribution?
Click-through credits the last ad the user clicked. View-through credits an ad the user only saw, and usually applies only when there was no click, within a much shorter window.
Do I need an MMP for attribution?
Not always. If you buy from one or two partners that confirm results by postback, you can attribute on your own server. With several paid networks, an MMP gives one neutral count.
How did ATT change attribution?
Users who decline tracking can no longer be matched to ads at the device level. Their installs are measured through Apple’s aggregated frameworks, with delays and less detail.
