What is SKAdNetwork, and why does it matter for iPhone ads?
It is like a sealed ballot box. You learn how many votes each candidate got and roughly how keen voters were, but you never see who cast which vote.
Why SKAdNetwork exists
Ad networks used to follow each phone with an advertising ID. In 2021, with iOS 14.5, Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency (ATT): apps must ask permission before tracking you across other companies' apps. Many people say no.
Without that ID, how does an advertiser know an ad worked? Apple's answer is SKAdNetwork (often shortened to SKAN). It has existed since iOS 11.3 and became the main way to measure iPhone app ads after ATT. Apps do not need ATT permission to use it.
How it works, simply
There are three players: the ad network that serves the ad, the publisher app where the ad appears, and your app, the one being advertised.
- An ad network signs its ad with a digital stamp, so Apple can confirm it is real.
- Someone taps or views the ad and installs your app.
- Your app tells the phone how valuable that new user is so far, using a conversion value.
- After a delay, the phone sends a report, called a postback, to the ad network. It says "an install happened from your campaign" plus the conversion value. No name, no device ID.
Apple adds delays and limits detail when campaigns are small. This is called crowd anonymity: the fewer installs a campaign has, the less detail it gets, so no single person can be picked out.
What a conversion value is
You get a tiny number to describe a user's early behavior. In SKAdNetwork 4, available from iOS 16.1, the first report can carry a "fine" value from 0 to 63, or a "coarse" value of low, medium or high. Later reports carry only coarse values. Up to three postbacks can arrive, covering different time windows after install.
So you must decide what those numbers mean. For example: 0 = installed only, 10 = finished sign-up, 40 = made a first purchase. Planning this "conversion value schema" is one of the most important iOS marketing decisions.
SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit today
In 2024 Apple launched AdAttributionKit, a newer framework built on the same ideas. Apple's SKAdNetwork documentation now tells developers to use AdAttributionKit for app ad campaigns on the App Store and alternative marketplaces. SKAdNetwork still works, and Apple documents how the two work together, so networks and apps often support both during the move.
| SKAdNetwork | AdAttributionKit | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | iOS 11.3 | iOS 17.4 |
| Apple's current advice | Older framework, still supported | Recommended for app ad campaigns |
| Re-engagement ads | No (installs and redownloads) | Yes, from iOS 18 |
| Alternative app marketplaces | No | Yes |
| User-level data | None | None |
What it is good for
- Measuring iPhone ad campaigns for users who said no to tracking.
- Comparing networks on iOS using Apple-signed, tamper-resistant reports.
- Giving ad networks a signal of user quality so their systems can optimize.
Its limits
- Delayed data. Reports arrive a day or more after events, so you cannot react instantly.
- Little detail. No user-level paths, and small campaigns get even less.
- Short windows. It suits early actions, not what a user does six months later.
- iOS only. Android uses different systems.
Cost and timeline
SKAdNetwork is free and built into iOS. The cost is planning and testing. Most apps manage it through a measurement partner like AppsFlyer, which turns raw postbacks into readable reports and helps design conversion values. Expect to revisit your schema as you learn which early actions predict revenue.
How Appryze handles iOS measurement
Before an iPhone app spends on ads, we agree a conversion value plan that matches how the app makes money, set it up through your measurement partner and check that postbacks arrive. Then we read campaigns with that delay in mind. Our app marketing page shows how this fits a full iOS growth plan.
Common questions
Is SKAdNetwork being replaced?
Apple now recommends AdAttributionKit for app ad campaigns, and its SKAdNetwork documentation points developers there. SKAdNetwork still works and Apple documents how the two frameworks interoperate, so many ad networks and measurement partners support both for now.
Does SKAdNetwork need the App Tracking Transparency prompt?
No. Apple designed SKAdNetwork so apps can use it whether or not a person allows tracking. It never shares user-level or device-level data, which is why it works even for people who tap Ask App Not to Track.
What is a SKAdNetwork postback?
A postback is the report a phone sends to the ad network after an ad leads to an install. It confirms the install came from that network's campaign and may include a conversion value. Apple signs it, delays it and limits its detail to protect privacy.
Do I need to code SKAdNetwork myself?
Usually not from scratch. Most apps let their mobile measurement partner's SDK handle conversion value updates and collect postbacks. Your team still has to decide what each value means, and someone must add the ad network IDs that partners provide.
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