Short answer: recent data is incomplete by design. Google says app conversions can take up to 24 hours to process, Apple adds at least 24 to 48 hours before a SKAN postback, and Meta says SKAN results are delayed by at least 24 hours. Judge campaigns on data at least two to three days old.
Why attribution data arrives late
Reporting delay: the time between an install or event and the moment it appears, attributed, in a report.
Some delay is processing. Some is deliberate: Apple adds a random delay to SKAN postbacks so that installs cannot be tied to individuals by timing.
How long should I wait before trusting the numbers?
Wait at least 48 to 72 hours for Android and web-to-app data, and longer for iOS SKAN conversion values. Later SKAN postbacks can take up to 144 hours after their window closes.
Likely causes
- Google processing. Google says app conversion processing can take several hours, sometimes up to 24 hours. After linking GA4 or Firebase, allow 24 to 48 hours.
- SKAN random delay. Apple says the minimum time from impression to postback is 24 to 48 hours. For SKAN 4, the first postback arrives 24 to 48 hours after its window ends and the second and third 24 to 144 hours after theirs.
- Meta's SKAN delay. Meta's help centre lists SKAN delays of at least 24 hours among the reasons AEM and SKAN figures differ.
- Invalid conversion removal. Google says some invalid conversions are removed later, so totals can drop as well as rise.
How to confirm it
- Pull the same report for the last 7 days and again two days later. If earlier days rose, you are seeing delay.
- Compare a range that ended at least 72 hours ago with the same range in the ad platform.
- For SKAN, check the dates your postbacks were received against the install dates.
How to fix it
- There is nothing to repair; set expectations instead.
- Grey out or label the last two days on dashboards as provisional.
- Make campaign decisions on data at least 72 hours old.
- For SKAN, judge conversion values on cohorts at least a week old, and longer for second and third postbacks.
| Source | Documented delay |
|---|---|
| Google app conversions | Several hours, up to 24 hours |
| Google after GA4 or Firebase linking | 24 to 48 hours to propagate |
| SKAN minimum, impression to postback | 24 to 48 hours |
| SKAN 4 second and third postbacks | 24 to 144 hours after window ends |
| Meta SKAN results | At least 24 hours |
If late data is landing in organic first, see paid installs showing as organic. For SKAN timing in detail, read the SKAN 4 postbacks guide or second and third SKAN postbacks arriving late.