Google App Campaigns playbook 2025: Setup, optimization, reporting & best practices

In 2025, Google App Campaigns (GAC) (formerly Universal App Campaigns) continues to be a cornerstone for mobile UA growth.

With Google’s AI-driven automation, these campaigns simplify ad placements across Search, Play Store, YouTube, Display, and Discover. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to setting up, optimizing, and scaling your app campaigns effectively.

As of today, April, 2025, it has been approximately 10 years since Google App Campaigns introduction. Yet they continue to remain “black box” because of these three primary reasons:

1. Algorithm-driven automation

GAC is built to automate everything:

• Ad creatives
• Audience targeting
• Bidding strategies
• Placement decisions

This means you don’t choose keywords or placements manually like in traditional Google Ads. Google uses machine learning to optimize based on signals across Google Search, YouTube, Display Network, and Play Store.

2. Limited reporting granularity

Google restricts:

• Creative-level performance insights (you don’t get breakdowns by asset clearly like in Meta)
• Audience data (you can’t see exact user segments or interest groups)
• Placement data (you can’t choose or even see full lists of where your ads appear)

This is intentional to preserve the algorithm’s integrity and prevent “over-optimization” by humans, but it creates a data-blind experience for marketers.

P.S.: Google does allow you to see third-party app placement data based on impressions, but it’s still fairly limited.

3. Google’s incentive: Trust the AI

Google wants advertisers to trust machine learning, not tweak manually. Their bet is that aggregated, high-signal user data is better leveraged by AI than by humans.

So, GAC is designed to optimize outcomes, not explain them. And that tradeoff frustrates marketers who want clarity and control.

Let’s see how we can tame this black box monster.

A. Campaign setup

Choose the right campaign type

Google offers three campaign types for mobile apps:

1. App installs: Focus on acquiring new users.
2. App engagement: Re-engage current users (beneficial for inactive or lapsed users).
3. Pre-registration (Android only): Build hype for upcoming app launches.

Align campaign types with business goals:

1. For growth: Start with App Install + “Users likely to perform in-app action.”
2. For monetization: Use App Installs optimized for in-app purchases.
3. For retention: Leverage App Engagement with deep links.

Based on my 11+ years of UA experience and working with Google App Campaigns, I’ve rarely seen install campaigns bringing quality traffic. So I would caution you to stay from Install campaigns.

Questions to ask before launching your Google App Campaigns:

1. What’s the right conversion event to optimize for?
   • Is the event deep enough (e.g., purchase, not just install)?
   • Do we get enough volume (~30-50/day) for the algorithm to learn?
2. Which bidding strategy makes the most sense?
   • tCPI for installs?
   • tCPA for conversions?
   • tROAS for revenue?
3. What’s the acceptable cost per event?
   • Based on CAC or payback window?
4. Budget
   • Ensure you keep 50x CPI as the budget for install campaigns
   • 10x CPA budget for in-app action campaigns
5. Do you have a robust MMP or Firebase SDK setup?

• Are all in-app events mapped and tested?
• Is real-time data being passed to Google?

Why conversion tracking matters in GAC

Google App Campaigns use conversion data to train the algorithm.

If your event data is:

• missing,
• delayed,
• misfiring,
• or irrelevant…

The system won’t know what a “good” user looks like, and you’ll waste budget attracting low-quality installs.

Core conversion tracking stack

Google App Campaigns events you MUST track

There are 3 tiers of conversion events:

? Tier 1 – Basic

• first_open
• install

(Only enough for tCPI bidding, not quality users)

? Tier 2 – Mid-funnel

• sign_up
• onboarding_complete
• tutorial_complete
• login
• start_trial

(Better signal for tCPA optimization — 10–50+ per day needed)

? Tier 3 – High-value (End funnel)

• purchase
• add_to_cart
• level_complete (for gaming)
• subscribe
• renewal
• add_payment_info
• Custom: hero_user_achieved (e.g., completes 3 sessions & spends $10)

(These are ideal for tROAS bidding – but you need volume)

Event mapping between Firebase & Google Ads

You must import Firebase events into Google Ads or set up MMP postbacks:

Firebase path:

1. Link Firebase to Google Ads
2. In Google Ads: → Tools > Conversions > Import from Firebase
3. Select key events you want to optimize for
4. Make sure the event is set as “primary” for optimization

? Tip: Use event parameters (e.g., revenue value, currency) for ROAS targeting.

MMP path (e.g., Appsflyer, Adjust):

• Configure postbacks from MMP to Google Ads
• Whitelist Google Ads as an ad partner
• Ensure each event is marked with:
  • Attribution window (7-day click recommended)
  • Postback mode: all events, not just attributed ones

⚠️ Many errors in UA come from misconfigured or delayed postbacks.

Why we recommend Google Firebase for Google App Campaigns (GAC)

1. Audience signals and exclusions Firebase is the only platform that allows you to create and sync audience segments directly with Google Ads for App Campaigns. This enables precise audience exclusions and targeting signals that are not possible through third-party MMPs.
2. Priority access to betas and features Google prioritizes Firebase-linked apps when rolling out new features, campaign types, or beta programs. If you’re working with a Google rep, using Firebase significantly increases your chances of being included in early experiments and feature testing.
3. Real-time conversion syncing Events tracked in Firebase sync directly and instantly with Google Ads, ensuring that your campaigns optimize on the most up-to-date data. This helps improve learning phases and campaign stability compared to delayed MMP postbacks.
4. Seamless Google ecosystem integration Firebase integrates deeply with the Play Store, Google Analytics, and GA4. This ecosystem-level connection provides a unified view of user behavior from acquisition to post-install engagement, all within Google’s native stack.

Account, campaign & ad group structure

1. At the campaign level

Structure your campaigns based on platform, optimization goal, and geo/language grouping.

A. Platform: Android vs iOS

• Keep Android and iOS separate due to:
  • Different user behavior
  • Different store ecosystems
  • iOS requiring SKAdNetwork support
  • Separate event tracking schema

Campaign examples:

• GAC - Android - Installs - US
• GAC - iOS - Purchases - UK

B. Optimization goal: Installs vs Actions

• Start with tCPI (Cost per Install) if you lack event volume
• Scale to tCPA (in-app action) or tROAS (revenue) once you hit ~50+ daily conversions

Structure different campaigns by goal:

Avoid running different campaigns in the same geo, optimizing for the same event, as this leads to cannibalization.

2. At the ad group (asset group) level

• Use one theme per ad group for clean creative testing (e.g., one for feature-led, one for emotional messaging)
• Structure by:
  • Creative concepts (e.g., utility vs lifestyle)
  • Language variants (if multi-lingual)
  • Promotion-specific assets (e.g., holiday offer vs evergreen)

Examples:

• AG - Value Prop - Track Expenses Fast
• AG - Promo - 30 Day Free Trial
• AG - Lifestyle - Gen Z Visuals

Pro tips

• Limit 1–2 optimization goals per campaign
• Don’t overload campaigns with too many asset groups — keep testing structured
• Refresh creatives every 2–3 weeks to avoid fatigue
• Use naming conventions like: GAC - Platform - Goal - Geo - Language

Google App Campaigns creative assets: Full list

App Campaigns use your assets to generate ads across:

• Google Search
• Google Play
• YouTube
• Display Network
• Discover

Text assets

• Short headline (max 30 characters) – up to 5
• Description lines (max 90 characters) – up to 5
• Callouts / Value props – clear, benefit-focused

? Best practice: Include different angles (features, emotion, social proof, urgency)

Image assets

Max file size: 150KB (PNG or JPG)

Aspect ratios:

• 1:1 (square)
• 1.91:1 (landscape)
• 9:16 (portrait)

? Tip: Avoid text-heavy images — keep visuals clean and mobile-optimized.

Video assets

• Length: 10–30 sec optimal (max: 2 mins)
• Format: MP4 (preferred), MOV
• Max size: 100MB

Best practice: Use logo in first 3 secs, don’t use “click here,” avoid text overlays, and show app UI early.

HTML5 (Optional but works for limited verticals)

• Interactive or playable ads
• Hosted via Google Web Designer or zipped upload
• Max file size: 150KB

Best for gaming or utility apps with immersive demos

Uploading a variety of formats allows Google to automatically serve the best-performing assets across Search, YouTube, Display, and Discover.

Pro tips for creative testing

• Group creatives by theme (e.g., feature-led, emotional, testimonial)
• Use naming conventions for easy analysis
• Update every 2–3 weeks to avoid fatigue
• Monitor asset performance under: Google Ads > Campaign > Assets > Asset Reporting (look for “Best,” “Good,” “Low”)

Store listings

Google auto-generates creatives using your app store listing, especially on Google Play. Ensure your listing:

• Is keyword-optimized
• Has clear visuals/screenshots
• Contains a compelling description and high-quality app icon

Tips & insights from 11+ years of experience running Google App Campaigns

After managing app growth across industries and budgets for over a decade, here are the core lessons I wish every UA manager, startup, or in-house growth team knew before scaling with Google App Campaigns (GAC):

1. The algorithm is powerful but only as smart as your signals

Google’s automation is unmatched, but it’s not magic. The difference between average and exceptional results comes down to the quality of your event tracking.

• Set up custom in-app events tied to user value (not just installs)
• Optimize toward purchase, trial start, or deep funnel engagement once you have sufficient volume
• Ensure real-time, deduplicated conversion syncing (Firebase preferred for Google Ads)

2. Structure campaigns to learn, not just to launch

Avoid dumping all assets and countries into a single campaign. Instead, structure for clarity and control:

• Separate Android vs iOS
• Separate by goal (e.g., Installs, Trial, Purchase, ROAS)
• Group countries by language & monetization similarity
• Limit to 1 theme per asset group to isolate creative learnings

3. Creative fatigue happens faster than you think

Even in automated campaigns, poor performance often stems from creative fatigue.

• Refresh high-volume asset groups every 2–3 weeks.
• Track themes (e.g., utility vs emotion vs lifestyle) and rotate across formats (video, static, HTML5)
• Watch for “Low” performance labels in asset reporting—and kill them fast

4. Audience signals can make or break a launch

You can’t target audiences in Google App Campaigns, but you can influence them via audience signals from Firebase. This is one of the most underutilized levers in GAC.

• Use Firebase to create segments like:
  • High LTV users
  • Retained 7-day users
  • Churned but monetized
• Upload those as signals for new campaigns to accelerate learning

5. Don’t scale until you stabilize

Many marketers scale too fast. That’s when GAC breaks.

• Wait for consistent CPAs across 5–7 days
• Set your daily budget = 5–10x your target CPA (too low = no learning, too high = noisy data)
• Scale budgets by no more than 20% every 48–72 hours once stable

6. Use Firebase for access, control, and speed

If you’re serious about Google App growth:

• Firebase gives you access to audience exclusions, conversion event mapping, and feature betas
• It integrates deeply with the Google ecosystem and sends events instantly (vs. delayed MMP postbacks)
• Google reps prioritize Firebase-linked apps for support and experimentation

7. Don’t just chase installs. Chase outcomes

The install volume is a vanity metric. What matters is:

• ROAS over 7/14/30 days
• Retention and churn
• Event velocity (how fast users reach key conversion points)

If your post-install funnel is broken, no amount of traffic will fix it.

Final word

Google App Campaigns may seem deceptively simple on the surface, but the brands that truly scale know how to influence the algorithm, structure their campaigns intelligently, and evolve quickly.

If you master creative cadence, signal quality, and campaign discipline, GAC becomes one of the most efficient levers for app growth.