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How self-attributing networks claim installs

How Meta, Google and TikTok claim installs as self-attributing networks, why their totals overlap, and how an MMP picks a single winner for each app install.

Short answer: a self-attributing network (SAN) decides itself which installs its ads drove and reports those claims, instead of the MMP matching a tracked click. Meta, Google and TikTok all work this way. Each claims within its own windows, so their totals overlap, and the MMP picks one winner per install.

What a self-attributing network is

Self-attributing network (SAN): an ad network that matches installs to its own ads inside its platform and tells your MMP which installs it claims.

With an ordinary ad network, the user taps a tracking link, the MMP records the click and later matches the install to it. With a SAN, the network checks installs against its own records of clicks and views and tells the MMP which ones it claims, so the MMP does not record the underlying click itself (general practice).

Why do SAN totals add up to more than my installs?

Because each SAN only sees its own ads and claims every install it touched within its windows. A user who saw a TikTok ad and later clicked a Meta ad can be claimed by both. Only the MMP, which hears from every network, can give the install to one of them.

How each SAN claims installs

Meta

  • Meta's install metric counts installs recorded as app events and attributed to your ads. It needs the app registered with Meta, a correct SDK set-up and the app connected to the ad account, or installs show as zero.
  • On Android, Meta encodes encrypted campaign data in the Play Install Referrer's utm_content field and offers its own Meta Install Referrer, which also covers view-through and multi-session clicks.
  • On iOS 14+, Meta uses Aggregated Event Measurement or SKAdNetwork. Meta says statistical modelling may be used where reporting is incomplete, and that third-party tools may only receive SKAN reporting.
  • According to MMP documentation, Meta re-enabled sharing of non-aggregated, last-touch data with MMPs from 17 June 2025 for advertisers who accept its Advanced Mobile Measurement terms. Check Meta's current terms before relying on this.

Google

  • Google says Google Ads only reports conversions where there were Google Ads interactions from the same account.
  • MMPs connect through Google's App Attribution Partner programme. Google's list includes Adjust, Airbridge, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava, Singular and Tenjin, using SDK or server-to-server integrations.
  • Google says discrepancies with third-party reports are expected, including from cross-network attribution, and recommends aligning conversion windows.

TikTok

All TikTok points here come from TikTok's help centre as reported in search extracts.

  • TikTok self-attributes conversions when the click or impression falls within its lookback window, while MMPs mostly use last click and de-duplicate across networks.
  • Its window setting does not affect MMP reporting, and TikTok recommends keeping both consistent.
  • After moving to SAN, conversions and clicks may fluctuate on the transition day; TikTok advises keeping the legacy integration active for at least 60 days.

How the MMP decides the winner

MMPs mostly use last-click attribution: the final qualifying click before the install wins, and clicks beat views (general practice; TikTok's help centre describes MMPs this way). When two SANs both claim an install, the MMP compares the touchpoint times each reports and gives the install to one.

StepOrdinary networkSAN
Click recorded byMMP tracking linkThe network
Install matched byMMPThe network, then confirmed by MMP
Sees other networksMMP doesNo
Can over-claim across networksNoYes, each in its own window

What this means for reporting

  1. Never add SAN numbers together. The sum overstates real installs.
  2. Use the MMP for cross-network totals and budget splits.
  3. Use each SAN's own numbers for optimisation inside that platform.
  4. Keep integrations healthy. A disconnected SAN sends no claims, and its installs fall into organic.
  5. Align windows so that each network is judged on comparable terms.

Related pages

FAQ

Common questions

Which ad networks are self-attributing?

Meta, Google and TikTok all work as self-attributing networks: they match installs to their own ads and report claims to your MMP.

Why does my MMP give fewer installs to Meta than Meta reports?

Meta claims within its own windows, including views, while your MMP gives each install to the last qualifying click across all networks. Some installs Meta claims are won by another network in the MMP.

What happens if a SAN integration disconnects?

The network stops sending claims, so installs it drove have no paid match in the MMP and show as organic. Reconnecting restores claims going forward.

Can I see the click behind a SAN claim?

Not in the way you can with a tracking link, because the click is recorded inside the network. What the MMP receives depends on the network and its terms, such as Meta's Advanced Mobile Measurement for row-level Meta data.

Is a SAN's own report wrong?

No. It is accurate by its own rules and windows. It simply cannot see other networks, so it cannot de-duplicate.

What is mobile attribution?

Mobile attribution is the process of crediting each app install or in-app event to the ad, link or channel that drove it. A mobile measurement partner (MMP) does this across all your channels so each install is counted once.