The huge changes to attribution and tracking of post-install events on iOS came with the announcement of iOS 14 and the release of iOS 14.5 and ATT. And while it was not nearly as industry-defining as its predecessor, iOS 15 (released in September 2021) presented a few key changes and further developments in Apple’s steps toward further user privacy.
As of release, copies of “winning” SKAdNetwork postbacks (the attribution call when an app install occurs) can also now be sent to developers, not only to ad networks. This change was welcomed by the industry and understood to be providing developers with more transparency over their data, giving access from install to post-install.
Mail Privacy Protection was also rolled out, a feature that allows Apple Mail users to hide their IP address and location, and to anonymize the tracking of email opens. If these options are toggled on, access to information like email opens is no longer available to marketers. Hide My Email is another privacy-related feature that will allow users to mask their email with a generated one when completing any online form.
Aimed at helping to improve UA strategies and campaign performance, another interesting iOS 15 feature is Custom Product Pages and Product Page Optimization. Marketers and developers create custom pages on the app store that can be targeted and optimized for up to 35 individual user segments and then linked to relevant UA campaigns.
by Tiahn Wetzler
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