Discrepancies in App Conversion Attribution
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Unavoidable discrepancies
There are several unavoidable factors that result in reasonable levels of
discrepancies between the number of install and in-app conversions reported in
Google Ads compared with those reported by a third party.
- When tracking more than one network with a third party, conversion data
will be deduplicated across networks.
- Google Ads reports conversions by the day of the ad interaction (for
example: click, impression, etc.), not the day of the conversion event.
- Android install conversion data tracked from Google Play measures the
number of app installs, whereas third-party install data measures the
number of times the app is first opened.
- For iOS apps, note that conversions coming from the search network will
not be surfaced on third-party dashboards since some of these conversions
are modeled by Google Ads. Visit our Google Ads Help
Center to learn more.
- There might be time zone differences in reporting. Google uses the local
time as set in the advertiser's account.
- Google Ads receives conversion pings from third-parties, but it can take
several hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) for the conversion data to be
processed and shown in Google Ads conversion reporting.
- Google Ads tracks Android installs and re-installs (by uninstalled users) as
install conversions, but not all third parties track Android re-installs.
- Google Ads conversions set to count "Every" conversion will track more
conversions than third-party reports, as many third parties count only "One"
conversion. Read more about the Google Ads conversion count
setting.
- The conversion lookback window might be set differently between Google Ads
and the third party. By default, Google Ads tracks first open or install
conversions within 30 days of the ad interaction, and in-app conversions
within 90 days of the ad interaction.
Identifying discrepancies
When identifying discrepancies between Google Ads install and in-app conversion
numbers versus those tracked by a third party, it is important to consider the
difference in attribution methodology.
Since Google Ads reports conversions by the day of the ad interaction and the
majority of third parties report conversions based on the day of the conversion
event, it is recommended to compare conversion numbers with ad clicks from a
specific time frame.
Example
- In Google Ads, view conversion numbers within a specific date range, for example, 7
days starting on January 1st.
- In the third party, view conversion numbers attributed to ad clicks from
the set date range (for example, clicks for 7 days starting on January 1st), but
when pulling conversion data start on day 1 of the set date range (January 1st) and
extend the time frame to accommodate the Google Ads conversion window (a 30-day conversion
window would result in evaluation of conversion data from January 1st to January 31st).
Troubleshooting discrepancies
There are several factors that may impact discrepancies between Google Ads install
and in-app conversion numbers versus those tracked by a third party, outside of
the expected unavoidable discrepancies listed above. Below are additional steps
that can be taken to troubleshoot these discrepancies:
- Confirm the event has been imported into the relevant Google Ads account.
- Confirm all events are being passed to Google for Google Ads attribution.
- Confirm the attribution lookback window in the third-party dashboard is
aligned with the conversion window set in Google Ads.
- Ensure that auto-tagging is
enabled in the Google Ads account.
- Confirm all events are being passed with the correct Developer
Token and Link
ID.
- Confirm the correct Link ID is
being shared with the relevant account.
- For re-installs on Android, check the Google Play Developer Console to view
percent of re-installs.
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Last updated 2023-10-03 UTC.
[null,null,["Last updated 2023-10-03 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eDiscrepancies between Google Ads and third-party conversion data are expected due to differences in attribution methodologies, including how conversions are deduplicated and attributed across networks.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Ads attributes conversions based on the day of the ad interaction, while most third parties attribute them based on the day of the conversion event, leading to reporting differences.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTime zone differences, conversion processing times, and variations in conversion counting methods (e.g., "Every" vs. "One") can also contribute to discrepancies.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhen troubleshooting discrepancies, ensure that events are correctly imported, passed to Google Ads with the correct parameters, and that attribution settings (lookback windows, auto-tagging) are aligned between platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eConsider factors such as re-installs on Android, which Google Ads tracks but not all third parties do, and modeled conversions for iOS apps from the search network, which are not surfaced on third-party dashboards.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Discrepancies in App Conversion Attribution\n\nUnavoidable discrepancies\n-------------------------\n\nThere are several unavoidable factors that result in reasonable levels of\ndiscrepancies between the number of install and in-app conversions reported in\nGoogle Ads compared with those reported by a third party.\n\n- When tracking more than one network with a third party, conversion data will be deduplicated across networks.\n- Google Ads reports conversions by the day of the ad interaction (for example: click, impression, etc.), not the day of the conversion event.\n- Android install conversion data tracked from Google Play measures the number of app installs, whereas third-party install data measures the number of times the app is first opened.\n- For iOS apps, note that conversions coming from the search network will not be surfaced on third-party dashboards since some of these conversions are modeled by Google Ads. Visit our [Google Ads Help\n Center](//support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100665) to learn more.\n- There might be time zone differences in reporting. Google uses the local time as set in the advertiser's account.\n- Google Ads receives conversion pings from third-parties, but it can take several hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) for the conversion data to be processed and shown in Google Ads conversion reporting.\n- Google Ads tracks Android installs and re-installs (by uninstalled users) as install conversions, but not all third parties track Android re-installs.\n- Google Ads conversions set to count \"Every\" conversion will track more conversions than third-party reports, as many third parties count only \"One\" conversion. Read more about the [Google Ads conversion count\n setting](//support.google.com/adwords/answer/3438531).\n- The conversion lookback window might be set differently between Google Ads and the third party. By default, Google Ads tracks first open or install conversions within 30 days of the ad interaction, and in-app conversions within 90 days of the ad interaction.\n\nIdentifying discrepancies\n-------------------------\n\nWhen identifying discrepancies between Google Ads install and in-app conversion\nnumbers versus those tracked by a third party, it is important to consider the\ndifference in attribution methodology.\n\nSince Google Ads reports conversions by the day of the ad interaction and the\nmajority of third parties report conversions based on the day of the conversion\nevent, it is recommended to compare conversion numbers with ad clicks from a\nspecific time frame.\n\n#### Example\n\n- In Google Ads, view conversion numbers within a specific date range, for example, 7 days starting on January 1st.\n- In the third party, view conversion numbers attributed to ad clicks from the set date range (for example, clicks for 7 days starting on January 1st), but when pulling conversion data start on day 1 of the set date range (January 1st) and extend the time frame to accommodate the Google Ads conversion window (a 30-day conversion window would result in evaluation of conversion data from January 1st to January 31st).\n\nTroubleshooting discrepancies\n-----------------------------\n\nThere are several factors that may impact discrepancies between Google Ads install\nand in-app conversion numbers versus those tracked by a third party, outside of\nthe expected unavoidable discrepancies listed above. Below are additional steps\nthat can be taken to troubleshoot these discrepancies:\n\n- Confirm the event has been imported into the relevant Google Ads account.\n- Confirm all events are being passed to Google for Google Ads attribution.\n- Confirm the attribution lookback window in the third-party dashboard is aligned with the conversion window set in Google Ads.\n- Ensure that [auto-tagging](//support.google.com/adwords/answer/1752125) is enabled in the Google Ads account.\n- Confirm all events are being passed with the correct [Developer\n Token](/app-conversion-tracking/api#developer_token) and [Link\n ID](/app-conversion-tracking/api#link_id).\n- Confirm the correct [Link ID](/app-conversion-tracking/api#link_id) is being shared with the relevant account.\n- For re-installs on Android, check the Google Play Developer Console to view percent of re-installs."]]
