Every year around June during the WWDC, since the release of the SKAdNetwork (SKAN) back in 2021, Apple announces a new version of SKAN. This year instead of the anticipated SKAN 5.0, Apple surprisingly came up with the AdAttributionKit (AAK) for iOS 17.4+. And is supposed to “help advertisers measure the success of ad campaigns while helping maintain user privacy”. It is designed to provide even more privacy than SKAN by not involving any third parties in the attribution process. In this post we will compare the different frameworks and highlight the most interesting changes this will bring us.
Let’s start with what AdAttributionKit is – it is important to note that the AAK framework is built on top of the SKAdNetwork fundamentals, but there are differences. As with SKAN the new kit respects user privacy by using anonymous data, while Advertisers can track the success of their ads without collecting personal information. Allowing them to see how many users took certain actions, like downloading an app or making a purchase, after seeing or interacting with an ad. It’s designed to work smoothly with Apple’s privacy standards, making it easier for developers to understand which ads are working without compromising user privacy.
Re-engagement is finally here:
Starting with the most anticipated and much needed one, namely: Re-engagement. AAK is now able to measure the re-engagement of returning users. AAK allows advertisers to track when a user who has previously interacted with an app (either by installing it or by taking specific actions) is reengaged through a new ad campaign. This could include activities like opening the app again after seeing an ad, completing in-app events, or returning to use the app more frequently. When a user interacts with a reengagement ad and then opens the app, AAK handles the attribution internally within the app. This means the app itself can access the reengagement data and determine that the user’s activity was the result of the ad interaction.
Support for Alternative App Stores:
While it is not one of Apple’s favorite topics to talk about, they did decide to implement Alternative App Stores as a trackable source. While Apple hasn’t released detailed documentation on this yet at the moment of writing, it is rather exciting to see this being added. While we foresee more and more Alternative App Store becoming available, primarily looking at what the Epic Store will bring us in the future.
Different Creative Types:
AdAttributionKit supports three types of ads:
- Custom Click Ads: Clickable ads like banners.
- View-Through Ads: Non-clickable ads like videos.
- Recommendation Ads: Includes SKOverlay (clickable banners) and SKStoreProductViewController can show app listings directly within the ad in full screen.
In contrast, SKAdNetwork treats all ad types similarly, focusing mainly on whether an ad results in a click or view, without distinguishing between different ad formats. This means SKAdNetwork doesn’t differentiate between ad types like banners or rewarded videos, despite their varying costs and impacts.
Final notes:
While more documentation will become available over time it is clear that Apple is taking notes to improve its current attribution methodology, and probably finds some inspiration in Google’s Privacy Sandbox. Though, with every historical release it has become obvious that adoption takes a long time. It is worth keeping in mind that SKAN and now AAK are complementary when analyzing performance on iOS, and should never be solely trusted due to the lack of transparency it brings. iOS performance should always be measured from different angles.
