AdAttributionKit
AdAttributionKit is the framework Apple built to succeed SKAdNetwork’s role. It keeps the same privacy model, works alongside SKAdNetwork, and extends attribution beyond the App Store.
Updated
Apple introduced AdAttributionKit in iOS 17.4, the same release that opened the door to alternative app marketplaces in the European Union. Like SKAdNetwork, it lets an ad network learn that its ad drove an install without revealing who installed, and it delivers that result as a signed postback rather than user-level data.
How AdAttributionKit works
The flow will look familiar to anyone who has worked with SKAdNetwork. An ad network registers with Apple and presents ads with signed impressions. When the user installs the advertised app, the system records the attribution. The app can update a conversion value that reflects early behavior, and after a delay the device sends a postback to the ad network with no user or device identifier attached.
- Impressions can be view-through or engagement-based, depending on how the ad is shown.
- Conversion values let the advertiser encode a small amount of post-install behavior, such as a trial start.
- Postbacks are aggregated and delayed by design, and the level of detail depends on privacy thresholds.
- Apple has extended the framework over later iOS releases, including support for attributing re-engagement of existing users, so check Apple’s documentation for the current feature set.
AdAttributionKit vs SKAdNetwork
Apple designed AdAttributionKit to be interoperable with SKAdNetwork. Ad networks and advertisers can support both during the transition, and the two share the same privacy principles: no cross-app user tracking, aggregated results and delayed reporting. The practical differences are in scope and features rather than philosophy.
| Aspect | SKAdNetwork | AdAttributionKit |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy model | Aggregated, delayed postbacks | Aggregated, delayed postbacks |
| Distribution | App Store | App Store and alternative marketplaces in the EU |
| Relationship | Original framework | Newer framework, interoperable with SKAdNetwork |
| User identifiers | None in postbacks | None in postbacks |
Alternative marketplaces in the EU
Under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, iOS apps can be distributed through alternative marketplaces in the European Union. AdAttributionKit supports attribution for installs from those marketplaces as well as from the App Store, which SKAdNetwork was never built to cover. For most subscription apps this matters only if they actually distribute outside the App Store in the EU.
What it means for subscription apps
For UA teams buying iOS traffic from ad networks, AdAttributionKit changes plumbing more than strategy. Conversion value schemes still need to prioritize early events that predict revenue, such as trial starts and first purchases, because renewals happen long after measurement windows close. Campaign structure still needs enough volume per campaign to clear privacy thresholds.
Related terms: ATT and mobile attribution are covered in the adapty.io glossary; SKAdNetwork and MMP have their own entries here.