Attribution Debugger
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Why are paid installs showing as organic?

An install is organic when your MMP cannot match it to any paid touchpoint inside a window. Work through the quick checks first: most organic spikes come from delays, integrations or SDK timing.

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    The full decision tree, if you'd rather read it than click through.

    • Is the data you are looking at more than 48 hours old?
      • No, it is from the last two days
        • Diagnosis: Attribution has not arrived yet. Recent installs often sit in organic until network claims, conversion processing or SKAN postbacks catch up, which can take one to two days.
      • Yes, it is older
        • Where are the extra organic installs coming from?
          • One ad network (Meta, Google or TikTok)
            • Is that network's integration connected and active in your MMP?
              • No, or not sure
                • Diagnosis: The network integration is not sending claims. Meta, Google and TikTok decide for themselves which installs they drove, and if the integration in your MMP is disconnected or expired, those installs fall into organic.
              • Yes, it is connected
                • Is the network's attribution window longer than the window your MMP applies to it?
                  • Yes, or not sure
                    • Diagnosis: Installs fall outside the MMP's window. The network credits installs within its own window, but if your MMP uses a shorter window for that network, the late installs become organic in the MMP.
                  • No, the windows match
                    • Are the organic installs mostly on iOS or mostly on Android?
                      • Mostly iOS
                        • Diagnosis: iOS installs cannot be matched at user level. Without App Tracking Transparency permission the IDFA reads as all zeros, so many paid iOS installs cannot be matched to a click and only appear in aggregate SKAN or network reporting.
                      • Mostly Android
                        • Diagnosis: The Play Install Referrer is not being read. On Android, many click matches rely on the Google Play Install Referrer, which the app should read once on first launch; if that read fails, paid installs look organic.
                      • Both about equally
                        • Diagnosis: Traffic without a tracked touchpoint. Campaigns running without tracking links, or clicks that fall outside every window, leave the MMP with no paid touchpoint, so the install is counted as organic.
          • Every paid source at once
            • Does the MMP SDK start on the very first app open, before any login or consent screen?
              • No, it starts later
                • Diagnosis: The SDK starts too late. When the SDK starts after login, onboarding or a consent screen, users who drop off before that point never send an install, and the rest arrive late or unmatched.
              • Yes, on first open
                • Are the organic installs mostly on iOS or mostly on Android?
                  • Mostly iOS
                    • Diagnosis: iOS installs cannot be matched at user level. Without App Tracking Transparency permission the IDFA reads as all zeros, so many paid iOS installs cannot be matched to a click and only appear in aggregate SKAN or network reporting.
                  • Mostly Android
                    • Diagnosis: The Play Install Referrer is not being read. On Android, many click matches rely on the Google Play Install Referrer, which the app should read once on first launch; if that read fails, paid installs look organic.
                  • Both about equally
                    • Diagnosis: Traffic without a tracked touchpoint. Campaigns running without tracking links, or clicks that fall outside every window, leave the MMP with no paid touchpoint, so the install is counted as organic.
          • Campaigns that use tracking links
            • Does the tracking link keep its parameters through every redirect to the app store?
              • No, or not sure
                • Diagnosis: Tracking parameters are lost in a redirect. If a redirect or link shortener drops the click parameters before the store, the MMP has nothing to match the install to.
              • Yes, the parameters arrive
                • Does the MMP SDK start on the very first app open, before any login or consent screen?
                  • No, it starts later
                    • Diagnosis: The SDK starts too late. When the SDK starts after login, onboarding or a consent screen, users who drop off before that point never send an install, and the rest arrive late or unmatched.
                  • Yes, on first open
                    • Are the organic installs mostly on iOS or mostly on Android?
                      • Mostly iOS
                        • Diagnosis: iOS installs cannot be matched at user level. Without App Tracking Transparency permission the IDFA reads as all zeros, so many paid iOS installs cannot be matched to a click and only appear in aggregate SKAN or network reporting.
                      • Mostly Android
                        • Diagnosis: The Play Install Referrer is not being read. On Android, many click matches rely on the Google Play Install Referrer, which the app should read once on first launch; if that read fails, paid installs look organic.
                      • Both about equally
                        • Diagnosis: Traffic without a tracked touchpoint. Campaigns running without tracking links, or clicks that fall outside every window, leave the MMP with no paid touchpoint, so the install is counted as organic.
    Related symptoms

    Related symptoms

    Android · iOSInstalls attributed to the wrong campaignLast-click rules gave the install to a later touchpoint, or the tracking link carries the wrong campaign parameters.→iOSiOS installs attributed far lower than AndroidWithout ATT permission the IDFA is zeroed, Apple bans fingerprinting, and many iOS results arrive only as aggregate SKAN data.→Android · iOSPaid installs showing as organicThe MMP could not match the install to a paid touchpoint, most often because the SDK starts late or a network integration is disconnected.→
    FAQ

    Common questions

    Why do paid installs show up as organic?

    Organic is the bucket for any install the MMP cannot match to a paid touchpoint inside a window. Delays, disconnected network integrations, late SDK start-up, lost link parameters and iOS privacy limits all push paid installs there.

    How long should I wait before trusting organic numbers?

    Wait at least 48 to 72 hours. Google says app conversion processing can take up to 24 hours, and SKAN postbacks arrive at least 24 to 48 hours after the install.

    Does denying ATT make an install organic?

    Not on its own, but it removes the IDFA, so the MMP cannot match that iOS install to a click at user level. The install may still be credited in aggregate SKAN or network reporting.

    Can a wrong attribution window cause organic installs?

    Yes. If an ad network credits installs up to its window but your MMP uses a shorter one, installs between the two windows stay organic in the MMP while the network still counts them.

    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.

    Why do ad networks report more installs than my MMP?

    Each network counts every install it touched within its own windows, including views, while an MMP gives each install to a single source. Adding the networks' numbers together therefore overstates real installs.