Integrating apps with AppsFlyer

To use postview attribution in your ad campaigns, please use normal tracking links for postclick attribution.

There is no need to start separate trackers and tracking links for postview-attribution for your ad campaigns and use them when creating adverts.

Support for postview attribution is already built in at the integration level between AppMetrica and VK Ads and requires no additional actions from advertisers.

Before setting up the integration, build the AppsFlyer SDK into your mobile app.

To integrate your app with AppsFlyer, you will need to:

1. Sign into AppsFlyer.
2. Navigate to the management of the app you want to integrate.
3. Select Integrated partners in the menu.
4. Find myTarget in the partner list.

5. Go to integration settings by clicking the myTarget icon.

• Click Activate partner.
• In the App ID field, enter the code you received when connecting the app to VK Ads. This code can also be found in the Apps section.
  The code is only used once, during the first connection, to verify ownership of the app. In other cases, the code is not needed.

Required settings:

• In the Default postbacks section, enable the sending of the Install event. We recommend enabling event sending with the parameter All media sources, including organic to increase campaign effectiveness.
• In In-app event settings, paste the code from VK Ads into the App ID field.
• Enable In-app events postback.

To make ads more effective and optimize them for in-app events:

• we recommend choosing All media sources, including organic in Sending option.
• select Values and revenue in the Send revenue section.

6. Copy and save the link, and then use it to create campaign in your account.

7. Click Save integration at the bottom of the page to save changes.

All done! You have successfully integrated your advertising account with the tracker.

If you use a dashboard per store, then for correct detection of installations and internal events for alternative stores (RuStore, AppGallery) in the “Channel name” parameter specify the following values:

• Channel name = rustore (for RuStore)
• Channel name = appgallery (for AppGallery store).

For more details on customization see the tracker help

To specify an attribution window restriction, add parameters to the tracking link: 

• for post-click attribution: af_click_lookback={target value}d
• for post-view attribution: af_viewthrough_lookback={target value}h 

For post-view attribution, the parameter needs to be added to the tracking link you will use in the VK Ads.

If no parameters are added, the tracker will use the default value for each of them: af_viewthrough_lookback – 24 hours, af_click_lookback – 7 days.

Example of a tracking link with attribution window restriction parameters:

Advertisers who use the AppsFlyer tracker in their mobile apps can set up spend transfer for their ads campaigns in VK Ads via the InCost API. It is possible to independently control the switching on and off of spend transfer.

Once configured in the AppsFlyer interface, the VK Advertising system will be marked with the “Cost” icon. It means that VK Ads supports spend transfer.

To enable spend transfer of advertising campaigns in AppsFlyer:

1. Enable spend transfer in VK Ads.
2. Enable the spend receipt feature in AppsFlyer.

If you enable the setting only in one product (for example, only in AppsFlyer) but not in another, spend transfer will not work.

To enable cost transfer in AppsFlyer:

1. Go to the “Integrated Partners” menu → the “Cost” tab
2. Activate the “Get cost data” switch

To enable the transfer of spending in VK Ads:

1. Go to the “Mobile Apps” section. Find your app in the list and press “Settings” in the row with it.
2. On the “Events” tab, you will see a banner asking you to activate spend transfer. Spend transfer is only available for apps that have the AppsFlyer tracker connected.
3. Click the “Enable” button on the banner. Then click “Transfer Spend” to confirm the activation of spend transfer.
   
   If ad campaign spend is transferred to the AppsFlyer agency account, click the “I have an AppsFlyer agency account” checkbox and then specify your agency name (parameter af_prt) → “Transfer spend”.
4. Enter the Unique App ID from the AppsFlyer tracker. If you use a separate dashboard for each app store (Dashboard per store), note that you must use the full identifier, including the “Channel name”. Example: com.abc.def-rustore.

This will then turn on spend transfer for campaigns created with this app.

To turn off spend transfer:

1. Go to the “Mobile Apps” section. Find your app in the list and tap “Settings” in the row with it.
2. Click on the “Events” tab.
3. Tap the “Disable” button on the banner.

Example

You launched a campaign on January 1, and on January 20, you enabled spend transfer.

• On January 20, you will be able to see your spending for the previous 7 days, including the day you activated the spend transfer: January 14-20.
• January 27 - for the period January 21-27.

It is impossible to transfer data on expenses for the period older than 7 days: i.e. on January 27 you will not be able to transfer expenses for January 19.

Aggregated Advanced Privacy (AAP) is an attribution method where campaign performance results are provided by the tracker in an aggregated form.

This attribution model is used for Apple devices running iOS 14.5+. You can enable it in the tracker. Read more about the method in the tracker help

To prevent unauthorised actors from misusing the integration, mobile tracker Appsflyer introduces a mandatory step: pre-approval of agency accounts.

This means that VK Ads needs to approve the value of the af_prt parameter used in tracking links.

How to add an agency account to the list of authorised agencies

Agency representatives should contact their manager to add the agency to the list of authorised agencies in VK Ads.

What happens if you don't add an agency to the authorised list

From 14 July 2024, AppsFlyer will only register and measure traffic from agencies authorised by advertising networks.
Read more