Home / Troubleshooters / TikTok

Why don't TikTok installs match my MMP?

TikTok self-attributes installs within its own windows while your MMP picks one winner across networks. These checks are based on TikTok's help centre, so confirm settings in your own account.

Your answers

Every path

All questions and diagnoses

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

Did the numbers jump or drop around one specific date?
- Yes, around one date
  - Did you move the app to TikTok's self-attributing network (SAN) integration around that date?
    - Yes
      - Diagnosis: SAN transition day fluctuation. TikTok's help centre says conversions and clicks may fluctuate on the day an app moves to its SAN integration, and advises keeping the legacy integration active for at least 60 days.
    - No, or not sure
      - Did new ad groups with different attribution settings start around that date?
        Yes
        Diagnosis: Different attribution settings per ad group. According to TikTok's help centre, attribution settings are chosen per ad group and cannot be changed after the ad group is published, so new ad groups can count differently from old ones.
        No
        Are you comparing on the same time zone and the same reporting date?
        No, or not sure
        Diagnosis: Different time zone or date basis. According to TikTok's help centre, TikTok reports by day of ad interaction in a time zone fixed at account creation, while MMPs may report by conversion day.
        Yes
        Diagnosis: Another network won the install in your MMP. TikTok claims installs within its own windows while MMPs mostly use last click and deduplicate across networks, so installs another network also touched can count in TikTok but not for TikTok in the MMP.
- No, there is a steady gap
  - Does TikTok show more installs than your MMP?
    - Yes, TikTok shows more
      - Do TikTok's click, engaged-view and view-through windows match the TikTok windows in your MMP?
        No, or not sure
        Diagnosis: TikTok counts a wider window. TikTok's help centre describes default tracking of installs within 7 days of a click or 1 day of a view, and its window setting does not change how your MMP attributes, so wider TikTok windows mean more TikTok installs.
        Yes, they match
        Are you comparing on the same time zone and the same reporting date?
        No, or not sure
        Diagnosis: Different time zone or date basis. According to TikTok's help centre, TikTok reports by day of ad interaction in a time zone fixed at account creation, while MMPs may report by conversion day.
        Yes
        Diagnosis: Another network won the install in your MMP. TikTok claims installs within its own windows while MMPs mostly use last click and deduplicate across networks, so installs another network also touched can count in TikTok but not for TikTok in the MMP.
    - No, the MMP shows more
      - Diagnosis: TikTok is missing installs or events. When the MMP shows more TikTok installs than TikTok itself, the usual suspects are a shorter TikTok window or events not reaching TikTok through the integration (general practice).

Related symptoms

All platformsSame install claimed by two networksEach self-attributing network claims installs within its own windows, while the MMP gives each install to one winner.→TikTokTikTok numbers jumped or dropped around a dateThe app moved to TikTok's self-attributing network integration, or new ad groups started with different attribution settings.→

FAQ

Common questions

Why does TikTok show more installs than my MMP?

TikTok's help centre says TikTok self-attributes installs within its own lookback windows, while MMPs mostly use last click and deduplicate across networks. Wider TikTok windows and cross-network overlap both push TikTok's number higher.

What are TikTok's default attribution windows?

TikTok's help centre describes tracking first opens or installs within 7 days of a click or 1 day of a view by default. Ad groups on its SAN integration can choose 1 or 7 days for click and engaged view, and off or 1 day for view-through.

Can I change TikTok attribution settings after launch?

According to TikTok's help centre, attribution settings cannot be changed after an ad group is published. Create a new ad group with the setting you want.

Why did TikTok numbers change when we moved to SAN?

TikTok's help centre says conversions and clicks may fluctuate on the transition day. It advises keeping the legacy integration active for at least 60 days.

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.