What is a Dev Key?

The Developer Key (Dev Key) is a unique identifier for your app, used to authenticate event data sent from the SDK and server-to-server (S2S) integrations to AppsFlyer. It's essential for enabling attribution, sessions, and in-app event measurement.
By default, all apps in your account share the same Dev Key. But if needed, you can create a unique Dev Key for each app.
To give you greater control, the Dev Keys page in your app settings allows admin users to view and manage Dev keys, including updating or replacing an existing Dev Key.

Where to find your Dev Keys

In AppsFlyer, from the side menu, select Settings > App settings. In the Dev Keys section, click Manage Dev Keys. 

Dev Key Management

Admins can use the Dev Keys page to:

• Generate a unique Dev Key for a specific app.
• Assign a Dev Key already in use by another app in the account.
• Run up to 2 Dev Keys per app simultaneously. Once you reach the limit, + Add Dev Key is disabled until you revoke one of the existing keys.

Why you might need to change your Dev Key

You may want to change your Dev Key for several reasons:

• Security: Rotate the key if it has been exposed, to prevent unauthorized access.
• Account transfers: Generate a new Dev Key after moving an app to a different account, to align it with the current account.
• Granularity: Assign unique keys per app to simplify monitoring, troubleshooting, or access control.

How to run two Dev Keys in parallel

You can run two Dev Keys in parallel for up to 90 days while you migrate. Both keys work simultaneously, so you don't lose any traffic while your update rolls out to users.

1. In AppsFlyer, from the side menu, select Settings > App settings. In the Dev Keys section, click Manage Dev Keys.

2. Click + Add Dev Key.

   

3. Choose one:
   • Generate a new dev key: creates a new, unique key for this app.
   • Use an existing dev key: assigns a key already used by another app in your account.

4. Optionally give the key a label (for example, "Production key Aug 2026"). If you skip this, one is generated automatically. You can change a label at any time, on any key, including revoked ones.

   

5. Confirm. Both keys are now Active. Your previous key immediately shows a countdown, and AppsFlyer automatically revokes it in 90 days unless you revoke it sooner.
6. On the Send to developer step, click the copy icon to copy the new key. The key is masked on screen, and each key in the Dev Keys list also has a copy icon.

7. Give the new key to your developer to add to your app's SDK configuration, then release the updated app version.

   

8. Once the new version is live and traffic has migrated, return to the Dev Keys page and revoke the old key (see "Revoking a Dev Key" below — this step is manual, immediate, and can't be undone).

9. If you don't revoke it manually, AppsFlyer automatically revokes the old key 90 days after you generate the new key.

   

Revoking a Dev Key

Revoking a Dev Key is immediate and permanent.

• The moment you click Revoke and confirm, the key stops accepting traffic immediately. AppsFlyer rejects any event, session, or S2S call still using that key from that instant onward.
• You can only revoke a key while two active keys exist.
• You'll see this confirmation before revoking: "Are you sure you want to revoke this dev key? [Other key label] will remain your active dev key for this app. This takes effect immediately and cannot be undone."
• If you revoke the wrong key by mistake: there's no self-serve way to bring it back. Contact Support, who can escalate to R&D for a manual backend reactivation. However, this can only be done within 90 days of the revocation. After that window, AppsFlyer permanently deletes the key's underlying value, and no one can restore it.

Auto-revocation, reverting, and limits

Auto-revocation at 90 days

• If you don't manually revoke the old key, AppsFlyer automatically revokes it 90 days from the moment you generated the new key — not from when you integrated it or released your app.
• Auto-revocation behaves exactly like a manual revoke: immediate, no grace period, and the same 90-day post-revocation reactivation rules apply.
• If your app update isn't fully rolled out by day 90, app versions that still use the old key stop reporting data when AppsFlyer auto-revokes it.

Both keys go live automatically, with no manual activation step

• The moment you generate a second key, or assign an existing key as a second key, it's active and ready to accept traffic. There's no activation step.
• Your existing key's 90-day countdown starts the moment you generate the new key, even if you haven't implemented it yet. For this reason, generate the second key when you're ready to integrate it.

Reverting a rotation

• If something's wrong with your new key's integration, revoke the new key. Your old key returns to being your single active key, and its 90-day countdown clears.
• You can do this at any time during the 90-day window, as long as you haven't revoked the old key.
• If you've already revoked the old key, you can't revert it yourself. Contact Support within 90 days of the revocation to request reactivation.

You can never end up with zero working keys

AppsFlyer never lets a manual, automatic, or API-triggered revoke leave an app with no working Dev Key. 

Legacy Pending Dev Keys (before November 2, 2026)

Before November 2, 2026, a second Dev Key stayed Pending until someone activated it. This state no longer exists. New Dev Keys are active as soon as you generate them.

If you had a Pending key on November 2, 2026, AppsFlyer canceled it automatically. Your original active key wasn't affected and remains your main Dev Key.

A canceled key stops working and no longer appears in your Dev Keys list. AppsFlyer keeps its record. To restore a canceled key, contact hello@appsflyer.com, and AppsFlyer Support will coordinate restoring it.

To rotate a key, follow the steps in How to run two Dev Keys in parallel.