Hoping this community can help. We have a mobile app on iOS only. So, we haven't implemented any IDFA libraries to track conversions via Google Ads and relied solely on the Vendor Identifier. However, we're seeing a significant drop in performance/conversion tracking within Google Ads compared to 2019 where we'd see thousands of installs.
Per Google Ads support recommendation, we updated the Firebase SDK with the SKAdNetwork automatically calling registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution, but still seeing no conversions registered in Google Ads. All integrations within Firebase are correct.
Without having to add in the IDFA libraries, is there any other recommendation you have? Adding a specific plist dictionary for Google Ads or additional API calls? I found one for AdMods but we don't do any in-app advertising so assuming that's not applicable to us.
Any assistance would help!
Thanks in advance.
The recent WWDC state that about iOS 14:
With iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14, you will need to receive the
user’s permission through the AppTrackingTransparency framework to
track them or access their device’s advertising identifier. Tracking
refers to the act of linking user or device data collected from your
app with user or device data collected from other companies’ apps,
websites, or offline properties for targeted advertising or advertising
Reference: User Privacy and Data Use
As per this guidelines, We need to ask the user for tracking permission using ATTrackingManager (AppTrackingTransparency) framework.
I have a few apps on AppStore, Which is using Google AdMob & FBAudienceNetwork to deliver ads to the user.
Question:
What's happen if I don't upgrade these apps as per the last WWDC guidelines? Is app continue ads serving to the user?
What's happening if User doesn't give tracking permission to the app?
App update does make any impact on revenue from ads?
Try to answer this question respected to ads serving, revenue and impact of App Tracking Transparency
Below are all references which I had referred already.
User Privacy and Data Use
App Tracking Transparency
Google AdMob
Google AdMob : Implementation
AdSupport
The firstly, i want to talk about the IDFA:
The Identity for Advertisers (IDFA) is the individual and random identifier used by Apple to identify and measure iOS user devices.
Bellow IOS14, Every AdNetworks use IDFA for defund a specific user, then They use IDFA to be used to deliver personalized ads to user. so IDFA help the AdNetworks can show related ads to our users.
In IOS 14, the IDFA is hidden and you and adnetwork can't get this IDFA, You must to ask user to allow tracking permission to continue use IDFA in IOS 14 system.
So my answers are:
Question 1: What's happen if I don't upgrade these apps as per the last WWDC guidelines? Is app continue ads serving to the user?
The short answers is YES, Your app still continue ads serving to the user. BUTTTTTT: the Adnetwork will do not know anythings about your user, so all ads will be random and unrelated ads
-> clickRate will be reduced -> eCPM will be reduced -> Your revenue will be down too.
Question 2: What's happen if User doesn't give tracking permission to the app?
Like the my answer 1 when user don't allow tracking permission, you can't get IDFA then Your revenue will be down again..
But in this case, Apple created an another choose for Us and Networks. that is SKAdNetwork which helps advertisers measure the success of ad campaigns while maintaining user privacy. But Nobody can make sure this API will better current IDFA System can make. So you should enable SKAdNetwork to track conversions in tracking don't allow case. To get maximum profit
Question 3: App update does make any impact on revenue from ads?
If your user allow the tracking permission, everything is OKAY like nothing happen. If not, you have the SKAdNetwork and let pray for SKAdNetwork will work nice like The Apple said.
Question 4: What is Funding Choices?
Funding Choices is the Google'Tool to help you to ask user allow tracking permission. Funding Choices and SDK UMP will create the explainer message alert which will automatically be shown immediately before the "Tracking permission" alert.
This is automatically and simple. If you don't like Funding Choices, you can create your explainer message yourself to ask user before the "tracking permission" alert is shown
This is all my knowledges after 3 days researching and working about IDFA, IOS14.....
I hope them can help you something. If i had any mistake, reply here!!!. Thanks
The current version my app (pre-iOS 14) is still showing ads, but ad revenue has HALVED since iOS was released. So yes, it seems ad revenue is impacted if you don't implement App Tracking Transparency (ATT).
I have updated my app WITHOUT ATT and Apple now rejects my app. Even though I share no user data with the AdMob framework, disabled location tracking and IAP tracking for AdMob.
So basically my app does not track anything other than the IDFA used by AdMob and Apple rejects it.
My advice would be to implement ATT if you are using Admob. If you don't do that, revenue will decrease and Apple will reject future app updates.
No IDFA means no personalized ads. Because all publishers over the years has build whole advertising services based on IDFA/GAID. Without IDFA you advertisers will not be able to run re-targeting campaigns or narrow targeting options to find target user group.
So you will receive less ads, and those you will see will have low CPM value. So your app will be flooded with cheap/poor quality ads.
You can learn more on my blog article
I'm working on a free app that has been live for 4 years. It has no ads or purchases of any kind. Just a free app.
There is no advertising of any kind, so we have always registered that we do not use IDFA when distributing on AppStore.
We have recently implemented Google Analytics for Firebase, and during our Beta we noticed that Analytics reports the gender of our users. How?
Based on this Firebase-reference it seems that Firebase uses IDFA.
It states that When the Device Advertising ID is not present, Analytics cannot derive demographics and interests information. This identifier shouldn't be available for any of our users, since we literally don't have anything resembling an ad-implementation.
Obviously, I have no idea what IDFA is, and don't understand why this is happening. I am wondering - should we now start to select "Yes - we use IDFA" when distributing? Or can we disable Analytics's use of IDFA? What impact will it have?
Apple Docs says:
Who can use Search Ads
If you’re a developer with an app currently on the app Store for
iPhone or iPad in the U.S., or an agency that manages campaigns on
behalf of developers, you may be eligible to use Search Ads.
Does it means only developers from U.S are eligible?
YES, currently only US registered developers have the feature access. (Rumours are it will be globally available after the March '17 event)
We are using Google analytics and looking for a way to find how many users installed an app for a marketing campaign.
It's quite simple with android, you just append campaign parameters to the links that users would click.
It seems complex or impossible to do this in iOS unless I join ad-network or show advertisement in my app?
It is possible without incorporating ads in your app. I have used the guidelines listed here to successfully track user interactions and events in iOS apps.
If you just need details on app installations, iTunesConnect's App Analytics might be sufficient.