Although iOS 14 has significantly impacted many advertisers’ ability to understand an ad campaign’s efficacy in driving conversions, macro-level industry changes have been hurting performance and data flow tracking for years before that, starting in 2018 with GDPR.
And while tracking has gotten more challenging for everyone, some advertisers have been impacted more than others.
The chart below showcases that while all advertisers have seen impediments to their measurement success, web advertisers have seen the least amount of friction to understanding the efficacy of their advertising efforts.
| Tracking Impact | Start on web, Convert on web |
Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Start on web, Convert in-app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign Targeting | Can target all users regardless of device or OS | Must target iOS 14 users separately | N/A |
| # of Campaigns Allowed | Unlimited | Limited | N/A |
| Tracking Impact | Start on web, Convert on web |
Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Start on web, Convert in-app |
| Reporting Delays | Up to 3 days | Up to 3 days | Little visibility |
| Reporting Conversion Time | When conversion occurs | When Apple reports back | Little visibility |
| Conversion Results | Statistical modeling where necessary | Aggregated and shared by Apple | Little visibility |
| Reporting Breakdowns | Age, gender, region, placement | Not trackable | No visibility |
| Attribution Windows Available | 1-Day View, 1/7/28-Day Click | Not trackable | No visibility |
| Campaign Targeting | |
|---|---|
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Can target all users regardless of device or OS |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Must target iOS 14 users separately |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
N/A |
| # of Campaigns Allowed | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Unlimited |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Limited |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
N/A |
| Tracking Impact | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Start on web, Convert on web |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Start in-app, Convert in-app |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
Start on web, Convert in-app |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Must target iOS 14 users separately |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
N/A |
| Reporting Delays | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Up to 3 days |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Up to 3 days |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
Little visibility |
| Reporting Conversion Time | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
When conversion occurs |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
When Apple reports back |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
Little visibility |
| Conversion Results | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Statistical modeling where necessary |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Aggregated and shared by Apple |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
Little visibility |
| Reporting Breakdowns | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
Age, gender, region, placement |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Not trackable |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
No visibility |
| Attribution Windows Available | |
| Start on web, Convert on web |
1-Day View, 1/7/28-Day Click |
| Start in-app, Convert in-app |
Not trackable |
| Start on web, Convert in-app |
No visibility |
Web-only advertisers can still target all device users regardless of operating system, run as many campaigns as they want and have a broader lookback window on when their conversions occurred and demographically who converted.
App-only advertisers, must now target iOS users separately and are primarily only given data based on when and how Apple dictates they should receive that.
Contrast that with cross-platform advertisers who have both web and app experiences. In a new world, where tracking doesn’t happen at the user level advertisers who have both web and app experiences are limited in the true efficacy of their advertising initiatives.
For example, let’s say you have a video streaming service and you’re trying to get people to subscribe through your website. But what if a potential subscriber leaves your website, goes to the App Store, and signs up for your service there instead of on your website?
Prior to iOS 14, it was easy for ad platforms like Meta to attribute that ad click to your website driving an in-app conversion.
However, post-iOS 14, there is no way to actually attribute that sale back to an ad.
At best, you can use tools like Google Analytics 4 or Amplitude to get partial cross-platform tracking, but this will only be able to measure users who are logged in on both web and app or users who directly clicked from your website into an app experience.
You can also lean into mobile measurement partners to help understand the consumer journey alongside an analytics tool like Google Analytics 4.
However, even with these solutions, measurement and attribution for cross-platform advertisers can be extremely difficult.
In fact, advertisers have had to go back to older methods to figure out if they’re succeeding. These methods range from simpler ones like last click attribution and post-conversion surveys, to more advanced ones like multi-touch attribution based on Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), and lift based on in-platform/traffic and geography.
Unfortunately, there is no all in-one-silver bullet solution (or close to it).
