At a glance: Starting with the general availability of iOS 14.5+ and ATT enforcement by Apple, advertisers use the Aggregated Advanced Privacy (AAP) framework to control the availability of user-level attribution data from the platform.
Aggregated Advanced Privacy (AAP) framework
The AppsFlyer Aggregated Advanced Privacy (AAP) framework prevents tracking across apps and websites owned by different companies and the ability to uniquely identify a user or device. AAP utilizes the Apple App Tracking Transparency privacy levels as a minimum benchmark for its privacy-preserving thresholds.
The framework provides advertisers the ability to control the availability of user-level attribution data via the AppsFlyer platform.
Starting with iOS 14.5 general availability and ATT enforcement by Apple, if AAP is on, user-level attribution data for non-consenting users running iOS 14.5+ will not be available to advertisers or partners.
AAP has no impact on the availability of aggregated attribution data and analytics reports to advertisers and partners.
AAP-impacted features
If AAP is on, data provided by raw data is affected and some fields are restricted or not available. This affects data provided by the following tools:
- Data Locker
- Raw data Pull API
- Push API
- Dashboard export page
- Postbacks to networks
- Get conversion data (GCD) API in the context of the client-side user-level data API.
Data availability is affected when AAP is on as follows:
- Attribution data and fraud (Protect360): Some attribution fields are restricted or not available.
- Click, impression, and blocked clicks (fraud) data: User and device-related identifiers aren't available.
- Deferred deep linking: If you implement deferred deep linking in paid media, use the unified deep linking API (UDL). The legacy API, which uses GCD, can't be used in the context of non-consenting users. In the case of owned media, deferred deep linking for owned media is supported via GCD and the most recent deferred deep linking API.
Data availability principles in Aggregated Advanced Privacy
When AAP applies to a given user's data, data availability depends on that user's ATT status and the media source bringing the user.
Definitions:
- User-level attribution data: Data records containing device-level identifiers tied to attribution at the user level
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Limited attribution data for advertisers:
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Available: Device-level identifiers. (IDFA is available if user consent is given.)
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Unavailable: Attribution data received via publisher attribution link (for example, media source and campaign). List of fields restricted and unavailable to advertisers AKA restricted media source.
-
-
Limited attribution data for partners:
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Available: Aggregated campaign details.
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Unavailable: User-level data that can help identify the user such as AppsFlyer ID, Custom data, Customer user ID (CUID), Click ID, IDFA, IDFV, IMEI, User-agent, and IP address.
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The terms defined are used in the figure and sections that follow to describe the data available to advertisers and partners.
Advanced Privacy behaves differently when served on the web and the af_media_type=web or af_media_type=app parameter must be used. See here for more information.
Paid and owned media data availability
Paid media
Paid media includes mobile ad networks with integrations in the AppsFlyer platform with whom advertisers run campaigns.
Paid media data availability by ATT status
|
Media type |
ATT status |
Data available to: |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Publisher app |
Advertiser app |
Advertiser |
Ad network |
|
|
App |
Authorized |
Authorized |
User-level attribution data |
User-level attribution data |
|
Not authorized |
Authorized |
Limited attribution data for advertisers |
Limited attribution data for partners |
|
|
Authorized |
Not authorized |
Limited attribution data for advertisers |
Limited attribution data for partners |
|
|
Not authorized |
Not authorized |
Limited attribution data for advertisers |
Limited attribution data for partners |
|
|
|
||||
|
Web |
N/A |
Authorized |
User-level attribution data |
User-level attribution data |
|
N/A |
Not authorized |
Limited attribution data for advertisers |
Limited attribution data for partners |
|
Owned media
The Apple AppTrackingTransparency framework applies only to data collected from different companies. Therefore, owned media user-level attribution data is available to advertisers irrespective of the user ATT consent status.
Owned media includes digital marketing campaigns used by advertisers to reach customers. This includes email campaigns, cross-promotions, push notifications, and so on. In AppsFlyer, campaigns using ad networks aren't regarded as owned media.
Controlling Advanced Aggregated Privacy
Aggregated Advanced Privacy (AAP)—app-level toggle
The AAP is an app-level toggle that controls the Advanced Privacy settings for all partners of the selected app. The AAP toggle is located on the App Settings page. When the AAP toggle is on, the Advanced Privacy toggles for all partners of the selected app are automatically turned on and can't be modified. When off, advertisers can go to each partner integration individually and turn on Advanced Privacy.
AAP enabled
- Aggregated attribution is available. This includes, for example, Overview dashboards and reporting tools like Cohort and Master API.
- Advanced Privacy partner toggles are turned on and can't be modified. Note! They are locked in position.
- Availability of user-level data towards advertisers and partners is limited, as defined in the previous section.
AAP disabled
- User-level attribution data is available for advertisers.
- The Advanced Privacy setting per partner can be set individually.
Before turning AAP off, consider if by doing so you will make user-level attribution data available to third parties and how they will use the data. You should work closely with your legal and other professional advisors in relation to how Apple defines tracking. Nothing stated here is legal advice. It is provided for your information and convenience.
To set the Aggregated Advanced Privacy setting:
- In AppsFlyer, from the side menu, select Settings > App Settings.
-
Turn Aggregated Advanced Privacy on or off as required.
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Click Save.
Advanced Privacy (AP)—partner-level toggle
If AAP is disabled, advertisers can set the Advanced Privacy setting for each ad network individually.
To turn off a partner's Advanced Privacy:
- Verify that the central toggle for AAP is off, in the App Settings page.
- From the side menu, select Collaborate > Active Integrations.
-
Select the ad network.
- In the Integration tab, toggle off Advanced Privacy.
Changing the AAP setting and the impact on the partner's Advanced Privacy setting
As previously stated, the AAP setting overrides the Advanced Privacy (AP) setting at the partner level. However, if you later turn off AAP (the central toggle), individual partner-level Advanced Privacy settings revert to their prior status. Meaning as follows:
- In the past, you turned AAP off and set some partner AP settings to off.
- Later you turned AAP on. Remember, when AAP is on, it overrides the partner setting and all partners are regarded as being on.
- Now you turn AAP off again. Meaning the individual partner settings apply. So for some partners, the setting is already off.
Advanced Aggregated Privacy implications for your partners
Ad networks
Postbacks to ad network partners
AAP affects ad networks in relation to data shared with them and is aligned with the AAP principles that apply to advertisers in the context of an ad network. Data shared with ad networks is via postbacks which differ between the attributed ad network and the unattributed ad network.
Data sharing rules described apply to a given ad network if either of the following toggles is on:
- AAP: App-level toggle
- AP: Partner-level toggle
Postbacks for attributed ad networks
In the case of the attributed network the postback type used to share data depends on the user consent status as follows:
- Consenting users: Regular postback containing user-level attribution data including identifiers.
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Non-consenting users: Advanced Privacy (AP) postback containing limited attribution data. It contains campaign details and no identifiers.
- Prerequisite: For an ad network to get AP postbacks they must have AP integration with AppsFlyer. Without integration, no postback is sent for non-consenting users.
- Exception: For installs attributed to Apple Search Ads (ASA), when an ad network that doesn't support Advanced Privacy sets the install postbacks to All media sources, including organic, Apple Search Ads (ASA) still sends install postbacks to the ad network regardless of the Advanced Privacy state on the advertiser's side.
The various user consent scenarios and postback types used are illustrated in the figure that follows.
Advanced Privacy behaves differently when served on the web and the af_media_type=web or af_media_type=app parameter must be used. See here for more information.
Postbacks for unattributed partners
Unattributed postbacks are sent to a network when the sending option in the integrated partner's integration tab is set to all media sources, including organic and that partner is not attributed to the event as illustrated in the figure that follows.
Advanced Privacy behaves differently when served on the web and the af_media_type=web or af_media_type=app parameter must be used. See here for more information.
Analytics partners
AAP affects analytics partners in relation to data shared with them and is aligned with the AAP principles that apply to advertisers in the context of the analytics partner. Data shared with the partner is via postbacks.
Data sharing rules described, apply to a given partner if either of the following toggles is on:
- AAP: App-level toggle
- AP: Partner-level toggle
Postbacks containing user-level attribution data including user identifiers are sent for consenting users. No postback is sent in the case of non-consenting users.
The various user consent scenarios and postback type used are illustrated in the figure that follows.
Advanced Privacy behaves differently when served on the web and the af_media_type=web or af_media_type=app parameter must be used. See here for more information.
Agencies
Data availability: The impact of AAP on agencies is similar to that of advertisers. If raw data is available to the agency for a given app and AAP applies to a given user's data, the data is available according to the rules of limited attribution data for advertisers.
Agency changing an ad network's Advanced Privacy setting:
- If AAP is off, the Advanced Privacy setting of each integrated partner can be set.
- By default, only advertisers can change the Advanced Privacy setting; however, the advertiser can explicitly give the agency permission to set the Advanced Privacy setting of ad networks enabled by the agency.
Grant an agency permission to set Advanced Privacy
To allow an agency to set Advanced Privacy:
- From the side menu, select Collaborate > Active Integrations.
- Select the agency.
- In the Permissions tab, turn on Change the Advanced Privacy setting.
- Click Save.