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Discrepancies between MMP and Apple Ads data

It is normal to see differences between your MMP numbers and Apple Ads numbers, or between your MMP numbers and the data shown in MobileAction’s Apple Ads Campaign Management Platform. These discrepancies are expected in the industry and almost always come down to a small set of well-understood causes. This article explains what causes them so you can interpret the differences correctly and know when they indicate a real problem.

Different attribution windows

Apple uses a fixed 30-day attribution window. Your MMP may use different settings, for example a 7-day tap-through window or a 1-day view-through window.

As a result, Apple might attribute an install that occurred 20 days after a click, while the MMP will not, because the click falls outside the MMP's configured window.

Discrepancies can also arise when re-attribution windows differ. If your MMP has a longer re-attribution window (for example, 60 days) but Apple attributes only within its 30-day window, an install might be counted by the MMP but not by Apple.

Different attribution models

MMPs typically use a last-touch attribution model across all networks. Platforms like Apple Ads often use last-touch attribution within their own ecosystem.

This means the same install can be credited to different sources by each system. Apple might attribute it to the last Apple Ads click, while the MMP could credit it to a Meta click that happened later. Neither is incorrect. They are simply applying different rules.

ATT and data availability

When ATT (App Tracking Transparency) is off, MMPs may use probabilistic attribution or may not attribute the traffic at all, depending on their policies. Apple may still count the install at a campaign level even without detailed user-level data.

When a large portion of your users opts out of ATT, expect larger gaps between MMP data and Apple Ads data, because the MMP has less identifier data to work with.

Event time vs install time

When you check your MMP dashboard for a selected time period, you see values based on the time of the event itself. In MobileAction’s Apple Ads Campaign Management Platform, values are shown based on the time of the install.

This is because SearchAds.com uses a funnel view. When the MMP sends an event, the Apple Ads CMP checks the install time of the user who triggered the event and attributes that event to the install time, not the event time.

For that reason, if you check the same time period on both the MMP dashboard and the Apple Ads CMP dashboard, the numbers will not match exactly, even if the underlying data is the same.

How to reduce discrepancies

You cannot eliminate discrepancies entirely, but you can minimize them:

  • Configure the lookback windows in your MMP to be as close as possible to Apple's 30-day window.
  • Make sure both systems are measuring the same events at the same definitions, for example download versus first-open time.
  • Account for ATT opt-out rates when interpreting the data. A low opt-in rate will naturally increase the size of the gap.

Best practice: Treat discrepancies as expected noise, not errors. Investigate only when the gap is larger than you would expect given your ATT opt-in rates, attribution window settings, and event definitions.

Related links

Need more help?

If you have further questions on the process, contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager or contact the support team via live chat.