Apple Ads Attribution API

Measure and attribute app downloads that originate from Apple Search Ads campaigns

You can implement the API directly or with a third-party attribution solution to accurately measure the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns — while upholding Apple’s privacy principles. By adding just a few lines of code to your app, you can easily understand the value of different customer groups over time and, for search results campaigns, the keywords that drove their downloads. For deep linked destinations, you can ensure proper attribution by calling the AdServices API. Then you can use the information to optimize your CPT and CPA targets for different audiences, ad groups, and search results keywords.

API requirements

Apps must be enabled with our attribution code to monitor attribution.

You can enable your app for attribution at any time to measure app downloads driven by Apple Search Ads campaigns. Attribution applies only to iOS customers who have tapped an ad and have downloaded the app within 30 days. Note that view-through attribution is not available.

The Apple Ads Attribution API provides an attribution signal for all downloads you get from Apple Search Ads from devices using iOS 14.3 or later. Depending on each user’s privacy settings, either a standard or detailed attribution will be available. Note that attribution isn’t available for downloads from devices using iOS 14.2 or earlier.

View the Apple Ads Attribution API documentation

About the iAd attribution framework

The iAd Attribution API is a legacy framework that no longer attributes downloads from Apple Search Ads campaigns. Within the next two years, the iAd framework will be completely removed from iOS.

  • Prior to the iOS removal, we’ll remove the iAd framework from the SDK. Once this happens, if an app has the iAd framework in its code, the app won’t build.
  • After the iOS removal, if the app’s code still has the framework in it — including from third-party SDKs — the app will no longer launch on iPhone and iPad.

If you’re still using the iAd framework, we encourage you to remove it from your app as soon as possible to ensure that your app will continue to run correctly on customers’ devices. To attribute downloads originating from Apple Search Ads campaigns, use the Apple Ads Attribution API.

If you’re using a third-party SDK, check with your provider to confirm that the SDK doesn’t include the framework. If it does, you can ask your provider to remove it.