SKAN Conversion Studio

Definitions

• SKAN measurement window: Relevant for SKAN 4+. There are 3 time periods (windows) during which user post-install activity is measured:
  • Window 1: 1-2 days
  • Window 2: 3-7 days
  • Window 3: 8-35 days
  • The 3 windows measure 3 different, non-overlapping, post-install time periods. Meaning, window 2 measures days 3-7 post-install, not days 0-7.
• Activity Window: Relevant for SKAN 3 and below. Has a set duration, default of 24 hours, starting with the first app open. If you're using SKAN 4+, but user devices or ad networks don't support SKAN 4 yet, the Activity Window is 48 hours.
• Conversion Value (CV): The measure of user quality reported in the postbacks sent by iOS at the end of the SKAN 4 windows or, for SKAN 3 and below, at the end of the Activity Window. The AppsFlyer SDK sets the CVs for you. However, if you want to set the CV use Decode to upload your CV mapping file.
  • For SKAN 4+, there are both fine and coarse conversion values.
     
• Conversion-value capacity: The number of CVs required to map your setting. The more components and measurement elements you select, the more conversion-value capacity is required. Each range or setting element selected consumes conversion-value capacity. (And each additional setting unit included in a single component consumes it exponentially!) Examples of maximized CV usage.
• Single Source of Truth (SSOT): Mechanism to flag if the user was attributed by SKAN and another attribution matching method. The flag is used to eliminate duplicate install data in SKAN raw data and to calculate true performance metrics.
• Measurement components:
   
  • Revenue: Measures revenue generated
  • In-app event: Measure conversion (number of unique users performing an event),
    engagement (number of times an event was performed), or both.
  • Funnel: Measures the occurrence of in-app events based on a list of sequential events in a funnel. A user performing any event in the funnel is regarded as having performed all the events preceding that event.
  • Priority: A component that contains revenue, in-app event, or both. 

Principles

• Admin only: Only an admin can save Conversion Studio settings. Account users can view the settings. 
• At any given time, only one mode is active. 
• For a given mode, AppsFlyer maps the combinations defined by your settings to CVs. You can view and download the mapping table. 
• In the app, AppsFlyer sets the CV after each measurable user action using the measurement mode active when a user launches the app for the first time. 
• iOS considers Apple crowd anonymity before populating the CV in the postback.
• User actions occurring after the end of a window are disregarded.
• SKAN dashboard and reports:
  • The SKAN dashboard layout and metrics depend on the mode and configuration. 
  • The layout updates daily based on the mode active at midnight UTC. Expect the updated layout to be available by 05:00 UTC. 
  • In SKAN 4, Custom and Decode, organic data for in-app events and overall revenue aren't available. 

S2S principles

Measurable actions can be reported by server-to-server (S2S) API. Consider the following per mode: 

• SKAN 4 and Custom: S2S is always on.
• Decode: S2S isn't suited to decode mode and isn't available. AppsFlyer doesn't set the CV in this mode.
• [Legacy] Revenue, conversion, and engagement modes: You must turn on S2S event recording before sending events.

In SKAN 4, you use different measurement components like revenue, in-app events, priority, and Single Source of Truth, to determine what is measured during each of the three measurement windows. Together the components create your SKAN 4 measurement mode.

If you’re upgrading to SKAN 4 from a previous SKAN mode, your current schema mapping is carried over for the window 1 fine configuration. AppsFlyer automatically maps the coarse values for you for windows 1-3.

To manually set SKAN 4, experiment with different options. As you make changes, the Conversion-value capacity summary updates. Optimize your settings to capture the data most valuable to you without exceeding the capacity. See Conversion value capacity calculation.

Note: If you’re upgrading to SKAN 4 from a previous SKAN mode, your current schema mapping is carried over for fine measurements and AppsFlyer automatically maps the coarse values for you. And if you’re new to SKAN, AppsFlyer provides an initial default mapping.

To manually set conversion values in Conversion Studio using SKAN 4 mode:

1. In the AppsFlyer dashboard, go to Settings > SKAN Conversion Studio.
2. Click options (⋮) to display the options menu and make sure SKAN measurement is turned on. Note! If off, the SDK does not call iOS SKAN functions like registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution, updateConversionValue.
3. Select the SKAN 4.0 measurement mode.
4. Click Continue.
   The settings for Window 1 (1-2 days) fine CV opens.
5. [Optional] Turn on Single Source of Truth (SSOT).
   The SSOT mechanism flags (and deduplicates) installs reported by more than one attribution matching method. Learn more
    
6. Click + Add measurement to add different measurement components.
   The following sections detail the setting options and components. Use them as guides as you experiment with the different SKAN measurement settings:
   • Revenue
   • In-app event
   • Funnel
   • Priority
      
7. Click Coarse and repeat Steps 6-7 to set the Window 1 (1-2 days) coarse CV. 
   Note:
   • Only Revenue and In-app event measurement components are available.
   • Low CV must be a user session to ensure the postback is sent.
8. [Optional] Turn on Lock window and set the condition (either time or coarse conversion value) for locking the SKAN window earlier than the default. Learn more
9. Click Window 2 (3-7 days) and repeat Steps 6-8 to set the window 2 CV. 
   Note:
   • Only Revenue and In-app event measurement components are available.
   • [Recommended] Low CV should be a user session.
10. Click Window 3 (8-35 days) and repeat Steps 6-8 to set the window 3 CV. 
    Note: 
    • Only Revenue and In-app event measurement components are available.
    • [Recommended] Low CV should be a user session.
11. Click Save.
12. Verify that your partner in-app event postback mappings map the events you have configured.

In Custom, you use different measurement components like revenue, in-app events, priority, and Single Source of Truth, to determine what is measured and set an activity window to determine for how long and at what intervals measurement occurs. Together, the components create your Custom measurement mode. 

To set Custom, experiment with different options. As you make changes, the Conversion-value capacity summary updates. Optimize your settings to capture the data most valuable to you without exceeding the capacity. See Conversion value capacity calculation.

To manually set conversion values in Conversion Studio using Custom mode:

1. In the AppsFlyer dashboard, go to Settings > SKAN Conversion Studio.
2. Click options (⋮) to display the options menu and make sure SKAN measurement is turned on. Note! If off, the SDK does not call iOS SKAN functions like registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution, updateConversionValue.
3. Select the Custom measurement mode.
4. Click Continue.
    
5. [Optional] Turn on Single Source of Truth (SSOT).
   The SSOT mechanism flags (and deduplicates) installs reported by more than one attribution matching method. Learn more
    
6. Click + Add measurement to add different measurement components.
   The following sections detail the setting options and components. Use them as guides as you experiment with the different SKAN measurement settings:
   • Revenue
   • In-app event
   • Funnel
   • Priority
      
7. Set the Activity window duration (12 hours-63 days) during which you want to measure user activity.
   The default Activity timer allows you to set the window to 24-72 hours. And the default Interval setting lets you set 12 or 24 hours. Use Custom window to extend the activity window to up to 63 days and set longer intervals.
8. Click Save.
9. Verify that your partner in-app event postback mappings map the events you have configured.

Using fixed modes, you can measure user value using one of the following measurements:

•  
  • Revenue
  • Conversion
  • Engagement

As you make changes to the mode settings, the Conversion-value capacity summary updates. Optimize your settings to capture the data most valuable to you without exceeding the capacity. See Conversion value capacity calculation.

Note!

• Fixed mode measurement is for a 24-hour activity window starting with the first app open. 
• If you want to send events using S2S, you must explicitly enable SKAN S2S

To manually set conversion values in Conversion Studio using a fixed mode:

1. In the AppsFlyer dashboard, go to Settings > SKAN Conversion Studio.
2. Click options (⋮) to display the options menu and:
   • Make sure SKAN measurement is turned on. Note! If off, the SDK does not call iOS SKAN functions like registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution, updateConversionValue.
   • [Optional] Enable sending events by S2S. Available if the selected mode is revenue, conversion, or engagement.
3. Select a fixed measurement mode.
4. Follow the information and instructions in the table that follows for your selected fixed measurement mode.
5. Click Save.
6. Verify that your partner in-app event postback mappings map the events you have configured.

Fixed mode measurement

Create your own CV-to-event mapping and set the CV in the app yourself. Use this option if you can't integrate the AppsFlyer SDK into your app.

To use Decode:

1. In the AppsFlyer dashboard, go to Settings > SKAN Conversion Studio.
2. Click options (⋮) to display the options menu and:
   • Make sure SKAN measurement is turned on. Note! If off, the SDK does not call iOS SKAN functions like registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution, updateConversionValue.
   • Upload your Decode mapping file.
3. Click Save.
4. Verify that your partner in-app event postback mappings map the events you have configured.
    

Use the priority measurement component, part of Custom mode, to rank user action journeys in the app based on your business logic so that high priority measurements override low priority ones. This enables you to choose what to measure in each step of the conversion funnel. 

Each priority (maximum 63) can contain revenue, in-app event, or both. When a user performs events in the app, AppsFlyer determines which priority fits the actions performed by the users and sets the CV accordingly.

For ease of understanding, let's compare using Custom with and without the priority component. Without priority, AppsFlyer maps all possible measurement combinations to CVs. Whereas with priority only measurement combinations explicitly set by you are mapped to CVs. 

Priority is best explained in the detailed example in this article. 

Priority principles 

• You can set 1-63 priorities. The number available depends on your activity window and Single Source of Truth settings.
• Priority 1 always has the highest priority. The priority with the biggest number has the lowest priority.
• A priority consists of revenue or in-app event, or both components. A given priority can contain multiple in-app events and revenue streams. 
• Funnel isn't available in priority. However, set multiple in-app events in a priority to measure user conversion in a funnel.
• To use the priority measurement component, you can't have other components, such as in-app events or revenue configured.

To set measurement using priority:

1. In AppsFlyer, go to SKAN Conversion Studio.
2. Select Custom, click Continue. 
3. If necessary, click Delete, to remove the current settings. 
4. Click + Add measurement. Select Priority. 
   Priority 1 displays.
   
5. Select a measurement component from:
   • Revenue
   • In-app event
6. Complete the fields according to the user interface.
   • Consider that a priority can consist of revenue, in-app event, or both. 
   • Range values of event occurrences and revenue can be of ascending (increasing) or descending (decreasing) order but must be continuous. For example, the following ranges are continuous: 1-5, 5-8, 8-10, and so on. A given range can be used more than once (repeated) if the second time it's used is part of a unique combination and is the same range as the last priority with a range. For example, 1-5, 1-5 + add to cart.
     Example of increasing and decreasing revenue
      

     Event	Occurrence	Revenue
     P1 event_a	2-3	$5 - $50
     P2 event_a	2-3	$0 - $5
     P3 event_a	1-2	$5 - $50
     P4 event_a	1-2	$0 - $5
     P5 event_a	0-1	$5 - $50
     P6 event_a	0-1	$0 - $5

7. Click Validate.
   The Priority is valid message displays. If this isn't the case, correct your priority before you continue.
8. Do one of the following:
   • To add a priority, click + Add priority. The existing priority 1 is shifted down and becomes priority 2. Complete the priority settings as previously described. 
   • To delete a priority, click … > Delete.
   • To change the priority level, click Options (⋮), and select either Change order or Make lowest priority.
   • To duplicate a priority, click Options (⋮), and select Duplicate.
   • Click Save, to complete setting priorities. 

Note: Lock window is only relevant for SKAN 4 and above.

Use	SKAN windows by default measure user value for specific times post-install. You can lock the windows early and have postbacks sent with all available data. To do so, set the conditions for when to lock the windows.
Mandatory	No
Multiple-use permitted	Yes, one for each SKAN window
Condition options	The Lock window consists of two options for locking the SKAN window early: Time: You must then choose a time post-install (before the default time) to lock the window. Note: The lock based on time doesn't take effect unless the user opens the app. High coarse value: As soon as the high coarse value is reached, the window closes.
Impact of using lock window	SKAN postbacks don't contain information on when a window closes, so the lock window status isn't taken into consideration when estimating install time. Therefore, locking the window early could affect the precision of install time estimates.

Note:

• Activity window is only relevant for SKAN 3 and below (meaning Custom and fixed modes).
• If you're using SKAN 4+, but user devices or ad networks don't support SKAN 4 yet, the Activity Window is 48 hours. 

Mandatory	Yes
Multiple-use permitted	No
Time characteristics	The timer has a fixed duration, set by you, and runs in parallel to the iOS timer. In contrast, the iOS timer has an initial duration of 24 hours. Each time the conversion value increases, the timer is reset. Default duration 24 hours. Measurement stops when either timer reaches 0.
Timer duration	Range: 12-72 hours. For more options, see Flexible measurement in this table.   When the timer ends, AppsFlyer stops measuring. If the timer duration is more than 24 hours, the user must be active in the app at least once per interval. If not, measurement can end prematurely because AppsFlyer can't prevent the iOS timer from reaching 0; meaning iOS ends measurement.
Interval	12 or 24 hours. Intervals affect the precision of the last-active time range and install time. For more options, see Flexible measurement in this table.  The last-active time range is available in raw data reports in the min_install_time and max_install_time columns and is used to determine the install time as described in this section. Example: The timer duration is set to 48 hours The user was last active during hour 40 Depending on the interval setting, the last-active time range is:    12-hour interval: 36–48h 24-hour interval: 24–48h
Install time	Install time is derived as follows: Install time = Postback arrival time - [Average last-active range] - [iOS postback delay] Postback arrival time:  Time the iOS postback was first received directly from the device; usually by the ad network.  Average last-active range considers the CV and is calculated as follows: If CV = 0  last-active range is assumed to be 0.  If CV > 1 or CV = null: Using the min_install_time and max_install time these are set based on the interval and the last time the user was seen active in the app.  For example, If the interval is 12, as the user was last seen 25 hours post-install, the result is [24 + 36] / 2 = 30.  iOS postback delay: [24 + 48 ] / 2 = 36. Consider that the iOS timer ends 24 hours after the last change to the CV and the postback is sent 0–24 hours after that. 36 hours is a constant.
Setting options	The Activity window consists of two settings duration and intervals.  Duration: 24–72 hours with intervals of 24 hours. Maximum 3 intervals. Duration: 12–72 hours with intervals of 12 hours. Maximum 6 intervals.
Impact of changing the activity window duration	The postback is sent 0-24 hours after the iOS timer expires.  Initially, the iOS timer is fixed to end after 24 hours.  If you set the activity window to more than 24 hours, the user must be active at least once per interval to assure that the iOS timer doesn't expire.
Considerations relating to ad networks	The default timer duration is 24 hours. You can set a different duration, but before doing so, verify with your ad network partners if they support a period that differs from the default.  When using the 24-hour window, you can enhance your metrics by splitting the 24-hour period into 2 intervals, each of 12 hours. By doing so, you'll know if the user continued using the app after the first 12 hours.
Example range capacity requirements	The image in this section shows a timer of 60 hours with a 12-hour interval.
Flexible activity window options	Flexible measurement lets you set a longer activity window and having hourly granularity. Similarly so for the intervals setting. The settings have the following characteristics: Activity window: Range: 12-1512 hours (63 days)   Granularity: 1 hour Intervals: Range: Minimum 1 hour and any other multipliers of the activity window Granularity 1 hour Consideration: The ratio of the activity window to intervals must be a whole number. Best practice: Don't set the interval to more than 24 hours, as this decreases install time estimation precision.

• View the events mapped to a CV by selecting the CV. The mapped events display below the table.
• Download the CV mapping table as a CSV file. Click Download mapping file.
• Get the CV mapping using the SKAN CV schema API for advertisers. 

CSV mapping file columns

As previously explained, the maximum number of available conversion values is 64. The following formula calculates how many of the available conversion values are used by the mode.

(activity time duration in hours / interval size in hours) * 
(number of revenue ranges + 1 ) * 
(number of in-app event ranges + 1 ) * 
(number of steps in a funnel + 1)

Adjust the formula to include all measurement components

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

In a shopping app, the advertiser wants to focus measurement on the:

• Actions of non-paying users
• Revenue of paying users

By doing so, the advertiser uses CVs to more precisely record revenue. These measurement requirements translate to a set of measurement priorities as set out in the table that follows. 

Consider:

• The highest priority is always 1. Note! Priority numbers don't directly map to CVs. CV mappings display in the user interface.
• The maximum number of priorities is 63. The actual number available depends on the activity window and if Single Source of Truth is on.
• Each priority consists of either a revenue range or in-app event occurrences range, or both. 
• Range values: The lower value of the bound isn't included in the range but the higher bound value is included. For example, the range $5-$10 doesn't include the value 5 but does include the value 10. 

Measurement priorities setting example

The table that follows contains user journey scenarios. Each scenario contains the list of actions performed by the user during their journey and the priority determined by AppsFlyer.

In the table:

• Multiple actions are separated using >
• The value in brackets (), is the priority determined by AppsFlyer set after the user completes the action. Using the priority AppsFlyer update the CV in the app. 

User journey scenarios