App ad attribution overview
Learn how ad attribution solutions can help you make informed decisions about campaigns and spend
Since its introduction in 2018, AdAttributionKit (formerly referred to as SKAdNetwork) has become a backbone of the advertising ecosystem, covering 77% of all referral-based conversions to the App Store.1 AdAttributionKit contains records for all app conversions from the Apple App Store, providing developers a view across multiple marketing channels to help them understand if their ads are driving desired results such as app downloads, opens and more. As adoption of AdAttributionKit has grown, more and more developers have asked that their Apple Search Ads campaigns be included in AdAttributionKit so they can assess these ads alongside their app ads from third-party networks. In response, on April 10, 2025, Apple Search Ads will register with AdAttributionKit (beginning with SKAdNetwork versions 1-3), giving developers a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of which channels drive their app conversions.2 Any ad platform can register with AdAttributionKit so that developers can receive attribution information for ads that run on their channels. The more ad networks that register, the more comprehensive, accurate, and useful it becomes for developers when comparing marketing channels. With Apple Search Ads registration, developers will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of their Apple Search Ads campaigns, side-by-side with other marketing channels that are registered with AdAttributionKit. The same attribution logic of AdAttributionKit will apply to Apple Search Ads as is used across other AdAttributionKit-registered ad platforms. Apple will continue to maintain the AdServices API, as augmenting AdAttributionKit with the AdServices attribution API provides additional information for developers to optimize the campaigns theyʼre running on the App Store — all while respecting user privacy.
Privacy and attribution
At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. So we build it into everything we do — including the services we provide to support app developers on our App Store. Apple provides privacy-centric attribution and measurement solutions to help developers who are advertising directly on the App Store or with third-party advertising platforms. Advertising plays an important role in helping businesses grow, and in aiding users in discovering products and services that align with their interests. It’s important for developers to understand the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns, so we design solutions to provide critical attribution information, while still ensuring user privacy is protected. Apple Search Ads helps developers of all sizes get their apps discovered with ads on the App Store. It adheres to the same fundamental privacy principles that underpin all our products and services, which include transparency and control, data minimization, on-device intelligence, and data security. For ads on the App Store, Apple offers the AdServices attribution API to provide developers insights into how their Apple Search Ads campaigns are performing. For ads on third-party advertising platforms, Apple offers AdAttributionKit. AdAttributionKit has protections in place to ensure that user privacy is respected, including crowd anonymity thresholds and limits to the amount and type of information that is shared back with advertisers.