At a glance: Increase the efficiency of your remarketing programs using AppsFlyer Audiences to build and connect audience segments to your partner networks.
Related articles: Audiences partners | User Attributes | Import audience | Incrementality guide
Audiences basics
An audience is a segment of current or past users of your app that meet the specific criteria that you define. You define these criteria using one or more sets of rules (called, appropriately enough, rulesets).
Once you have defined an audience and connected it to a partner, AppsFlyer Audiences creates the audience on the partner's system and sends identifiers for the members of that audience to the partner. This enables them to serve your ads only to these users.
All the information needed to upload audience data to an advertising partner is specified in a partner connection. You can have multiple connections for a single advertising partner (using different accounts, login information, etc.)
Note
In order to enable compliance with the privacy requirements of iOS 14.5 and other user privacy considerations, Audiences allows you full control to determine which identifiers are shared with partners, both at the account level and for each partner connection.
Audience split and incrementality testing
You can upload each of your audiences to one or more advertising partners, with the following options:
- Upload the full audience to each partner.
- Split the audience randomly among partners, according to the percentages you choose.
- Create a control group by specifying a percentage of the audience to be held back from partners, for A/B testing purposes or measurement of incremental lift generated by your remarketing campaigns.
Getting started
Follow these steps to get started with Audiences:
Step | Details | |
---|---|---|
1 | Set account-level policy for sharing identifiers | |
2 | Add an audience | |
3 | Connect the audience to one or more partners | Add an audience |
Optional | Split the audience among partners/control group | |
Optional | Import an audience | |
Optional | Import user attributes |
Add and manage audiences
Add an audience
To add an audience:
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Go to Integration > Audiences.
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Click Add Audience.
The Build tab displays. -
Enter a unique Audience name.
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Select the platform: Android or iOS.
- [Optional] Select Advanced settings to select the user identifier:
- [Default] Device ID: Evaluates rules by device ID only.
- Customer ID: Evaluates rules by grouping devices using the CUID. (Use this method only after you verify that your data has valid CUIDs.)
- Select New ruleset.
- Build the audience guided by the user interface.
- For specific information about rule options, see All about rulesets.
- Combine rulesets using the operators and, or, exclude.
- As you build your audience, the panes on the right side automatically update estimated audience and per-partner upload sizes.
- Complete defining the audience, click Save audience and proceed.
The audience connection window opens. -
connection hash
Do one of the following:-
To add a new connection, follow the steps as described in the Add a connection section, below.
- To select from existing connections:
- Click Link connections.
- Select one or more existing connections.
- Click Save.
The Audience connection window opens. - [Optional] Split an audience between partners and a control group
- [Optional] Copy split groups to S3.
- Click Link connections.
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- Click Save.
Manage audiences
Manage audiences from the Audiences dashboard:
- Go to Integration > Audiences.
- The following options are available:
Option Description Add audience
Build a new audience Change audience settings
Click an Audience name, do one of the following:
- In the Build tab: view, and change rulesets.
- In the Connect tab: set audience split, and control group options.
Actions
- View history: Displays the audience upload history including audience size, and split between partners.
- Upload now: Sends the audience to connected partners.
- Download as CSV:
- Generates and downloads the audience list as CSV files(s) that include the identifiers you select. Only data that complies with your user identifier policy will be downloaded.
- One file is generated for each partner.
- The file(s) are downloaded after calculation of the audience, which can take some time after you create or modify an audience.
- Downloaded files are limited to 5 million records. For larger files, send the file to an S3 bucket or use SFTP.
- Duplicate:
- Copies the audience definition.
- When you duplicate an audience, give it a unique name.
- [Option] Remove one or more of the connected partners during duplication.
- Calculate now: [For imported audiences] Recalculates the number of users in an audience. Use as needed to refresh the audience size if it does not look correct.
- Delete the audience
Bulk actions Carry out the same action on multiple audiences. To use bulk actions, select two or more audiences, then select one of the following bulk actions:
- Upload now
- Show audience overlap: displays the audience overlap between the selected audiences
- Delete
User identifier—Device ID vs. Customer ID
Audience rule evaluation is performed using an app user identifier. Select from:
- [Default] Device ID: Ruleset compliance is assessed using the device ID (GAID or IDFA/IDFV). When compliant with the ruleset, the device ID is added to the audience list. Note: The device ID will be shared with partners only when permitted by your user identifier policy.
- Customer ID (CUID):
- Ruleset compliance is assessed by grouping all device IDs associated with the same CUID. If the group complies with the ruleset, then the device IDs comprising the group are added to the audience. Note: The CUID itself is not part of the audience list.
- CUID implementation considerations:
- Ensure that your data is populated with valid CUIDs.
- App users (devices) without a CUID are ignored.
- When a device ID is matched to a CUID, historical audience data for the user is updated retroactively and included in audience builds going forward. Note: No change is made to raw data.
- If a device ID is associated with two different CUIDs, the most recently-associated CUID is used.
Example: Device ID vs. CUID
Advertising ID |
CUID | Purchase $ |
---|---|---|
A | 99 | 1 |
A | 99 | 2 |
B | 77 | 1 |
B | 77 | 5 |
C | 99 | 3 |
D | None | 50 |
Rule evaluated by | Device IDs included in the audience | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Device ID | B, D | A and C are not included - the spend was less than $5 |
CUID | A, B, C |
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Audience split and control groups
When you activate the split audience option, Audiences randomly splits the audience among 2-10 partners, in accordance with the percentages you choose.
Feature | Description |
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Control group |
A portion of the audience can be held back in a control group, which is not sent to any partner:
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Send a copy of split lists to an S3 bucket |
CSV files containing the split audience lists and control group can be sent to an Amazon S3 bucket.
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Set split audience and control group
- Go to Integration > Audiences.
- In the Audiences tab, select the audience.
- Go to the Connect tab.
The current settings display:
- The top, right-side pane displays estimated total audience and upload sizes (for all partners)
- The bottom, right-side presents a visualization of:
- Estimated upload size for each partner
- Partner overlap (for audiences that aren't split)
- Take any of the following actions:
Action |
Procedure |
---|---|
Split an audience between partners and control group
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To split an audience among partners/enable a control group:
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Copy split groups to S3 |
To send a copy of the audience split list to an S3 bucket:
Files are sent using the following directory and filename structure:
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Create and add a new connection |
To create a new connection:
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Add or remove an existing connection |
To remove or add an existing connection:
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All about rulesets
Audience segmentation rulesets
- An audience segment ruleset consists of a mandatory primary rule and additional secondary rules to enable precision filtering.
- Combine rulesets using operators: and, or, exclude.
- As rules are defined and layered, the estimated audience size displays in real-time.
- Where an audience consists of multiple rulesets, use the overlap visualization display to better understand your audience segments.
- The user identifier used to evaluate rules is either the device ID [default] or the customer user ID (CUID).
- The examples that follow illustrate ruleset implementation in various scenarios.
Ruleset examples
Example: User attributes-based rule
Users who launched the app in the last 7 days at least once and whose favorite sport is cricket.

Remarketing example
Using clicks and views for effective remarketing. To convert these users, a little extra convincing or a gentle reminder is needed. These users have a high probability of converting, so remarketing to them, can produce significantly better results, than advertising to new segments. Create precise audiences for remarketing based on clicks and impressions data collected.
Build an audience of potential users that clicked on an ad but did not install in the last two days.

These are users who, in the recent past, were sufficiently interested in your mobile app to click on your ad, but for some reason did not install the app, or installed the app but did not launch it. Some users just need a reminder (push) to install it. Others may need to see more screens or features of your app to finally convert. Therefore, if you have a primary creative you use on new audiences, it might be better to use a different creative for audiences that clicked but did not install.
Primary rule
You must define one primary rule per ruleset.
Rule attribute | Options |
---|---|
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Users of the App App is any app housed in the account. The account user defining the audience needs permission for all apps referenced. |
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Who have:
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Used the app:
[n]=1-100 |
Secondary rules
- Secondary rules are optional
- You can have multiple secondary rules
- Each rule has a unique type, for example, engagement, in-app event, revenue
- Rules have different parameters and settings, as listed in the table
Engagement |
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In-app event |
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Time frame and Frequency |
Event attribute:
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Notes relating to in-app events
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Revenue |
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Notes about revenue:
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Location and metro code |
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Location options
Metro code options
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Notes relating to location:
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Device |
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Attribution |
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User attribute |
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User attribute name |
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For number: Enter a value |
Combine rulesets
To combine a ruleset with an existing audience:
-
Go to Integration > Audiences.
-
Click Add Audience.
The Build tab displays. -
Enter a unique Audience name.
-
Select the platform: Android or iOS.
- [Optional] Select Advanced settings to select the user identifier:
- [Default] Device ID: evaluates rules by device ID only.
- Customer user ID: evaluates rules by grouping devices using the CUID. Use this method after you verify that your data has valid CUIDs.
- Click Select from my audiences.
- Select an operator: and, or, exclude.
Managing connections
The Connections tab displays all your partner connections and the status of each.
Add a connection
To add a connection:
- Go to Integration > Audiences > Connections.
- Click Add partner connection.
- Enter a Connection name.
- Select a Partner.
- Complete the required fields/login information for the partner. Some partners have detailed instructions about how to connect.
- Select the user identifiers that you authorize for sharing with this partner.
- Supported identifiers vary by partner. Only those identifiers supported by the selected partner will appear in the list.
- Only identifiers that comply with your account-level user identifier policy will be uploaded. You will see a caution message if you select an identifier that is disallowed by your account policy.
- Click Save.
Manage connections
- Select a partner.
- Select a connection.
- Take any of the following actions:
Option | Procedure |
---|---|
Change the connection name |
To change the connection name, edit it directly in the Connection name field. |
Reconnect |
To reconnect:
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Modify user identifiers |
To modify user identifiers, select/deselect the user identifiers that you authorize for sharing with this partner. Only identifiers that comply with your account-level user identifier policy will be uploaded. |
Delete connection |
To delete a connection:
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Dashboard and metrics
Audiences dashboard

Column | Description |
---|---|
Audience name |
Audience name |
Size | Number of users in the audience |
Upload size | Estimated audience size available for upload after application of your account-level user identifier policy and selected identifiers for the linked partner connections. |
App name | The app(s) referenced in the audience definition. These are not necessarily the apps targeted by the campaigns that utilize the audience. |
Upload to |
|
Upload status |
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Incrementality |
[Displays if you subscribe to Incrementality] |
Campaign metrics
metrics hash
Campaign metrics basics
The Campaign metrics section of the Audiences dashboard displays data for campaigns that used an audience for targeting (whether for inclusion, exclusion, or as the basis of a lookalike audience).
- Using an audience for targeting (and deciding how it is used) is part of setting up campaigns with media partners. Media partners vary in their support for how audiences can be used.
Supported partners: Currently, data is available for Facebook, Google Ads, and Snapchat. The Campaign metrics section of the dashboard is visible only if you have audiences connected to supported partners.
To view Campaign metrics:
- Scroll to the far right of the Audiences dashboard to make the Campaign metrics section fully visible.
- Use the date picker to select the timeframe for which you want to display data. (By default, the dashboard displays data for the past 7 days.)
To download Campaign metrics for the selected timeframe:
- Click the Export button at the top of the Audiences dashboard.
- Once the file has been generated, it downloads automatically.
Summary view
The initial Campaign metrics view displays summary campaign data for each audience:
Column | Description |
---|---|
Campaigns |
Total number of campaigns that used the audience for targeting during the selected timeframe (campaigns run with supported partners only) |
Cost | Total cost of these campaigns during the selected timeframe |
Revenue | Total revenue attributed to these campaigns during the selected timeframe |
Detailed view
From the summary view, click on the icon to enter the detailed view for the selected audience. (The
icon appears at the far right of a row when you place your mouse anywhere on that row.)
The detailed view displays data broken down by supported partner and campaign:
If the selected audience was used to target more than one app, use the drop-down list to filter the data by app.
Click the Overview dashboard link to view the campaigns on the Overview dashboard:
- The dashboard will open in a new browser tab, automatically filtered by the relevant campaigns.
- If the Overview dashboard link is disabled, you can enable it by selecting a single app from the drop-down list
. Once the link is enabled, clicking it will take you to the Overview dashboard for the selected app.
Column | Description |
---|---|
Cost |
Campaign cost during the selected timeframe (in total, then broken down by supported partner and campaign) |
Revenue | Revenue attributed to the campaigns during the selected timeframe (in total, then broken down by supported partner and campaign) |
Daily reach | The average number of unique users per day who saw ads from the campaign during the selected timeframe (as reported by the partner) |
Data sources and availability
It's easier to understand the availability of Campaign metrics data when we take a look at where the data comes from:
- Partner data: Since you select the audience(s) to be targeted by specific campaigns through your advertising partners, only these partners are able to provide certain information:
- The connection of an audience to a campaign (in other words, the fact that a particular audience was used for targeting by that campaign)
- The number of unique users per day who saw ads from the campaign ("daily reach")
- AppsFlyer data: Cost and revenue data is provided by AppsFlyer.
Partner data availability
Data is reported only for campaigns run with supported partners.
- Note: Google Ads doesn't support the reporting of daily reach.
AppsFlyer data availability
Cost and revenue data is available within the context of Campaign metrics if it is reported for your apps in other areas of AppsFlyer (for example, the Overview and Event dashboards).
- Cost data requires a subscription to Xpend.
- Revenue data requires that you have configured ad revenue attribution and/or in-app event revenue attribution.
Why don't I see Campaign metrics data for campaigns run with supported partners?
There are two primary reasons that you may not see Campaign metrics data even for campaigns run with supported partners:
- There are (or were) no active campaigns targeting the relevant audience during the selected timeframe.
- The user configured for the partner connection doesn't have permissions to receive campaign-level data.
- To view this data, change the user's permissions with the partner or use different credentials in the partner connection settings.
Traits and limitations
Traits
Trait | Supported | Remarks |
---|---|---|
Ad networks | x | |
Agencies | x | |
Agency transparency | x | |
App-specific time zone | N/A | |
App-specific currency | N/A | |
Size limitations | N/A | |
Organic data | ✓ | Included |
Non-organic data | ✓ | Included |
Data freshness | Daily UTC |
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Historical data | ✓ | See data freshness |
Account user access | ✓ |
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Limitations
- A positive condition is required to create a base audience (primary rule). Then reduce it by negative conditions. For example, installed the app AND did not do af_purchase event.
- Windows Phone not supported.
- Audience names cannot be changed on the connected partners’ side.
- Nested event values aren't supported.
- When creating an audience, only the top 100 events display. However, when you begin entering an event name, all events display.
- In-app events having more than 100 attributes by default aren't recorded. Contact your CSM if more attributes are required.
- Clicks and impressions data only contains devices that have an advertising_id/idfa on their original click URL. The devices of users from SRNs, which don't use external attribution links, are not included in the click data for audiences.
- When using the Total Revenue filter within the query builder, the estimated audience size is not available. This doesn't affect the audience creation process.
- You cannot combine imported audiences with other audiences or rulesets.
- Download file size limited to 5 million records.
- Google Ads: UAC campaigns aren't supported. Other campaign types are supported.
- Event reports by S2S must have a user identifier of CUID according to the ruleset.