Introduction: SKAdNetwork and SKAN

SKAdNetwork is Apple's new framework for determining mobile install attribution without compromising the end user's privacy. SKAdNetwork lets you measure the performance of your app marketing campaigns without sharing the user's personally identifiable information.

Singular's new version of the iOS SDK helps you implement SKAdNetwork seamlessly and with minimal engineering effort.

This SKAdNetwork implementation is based on SKAN - a standard developed by Singular for a smooth implementation of SKAdNetwork. To learn more about SKAN, see the SKAN spec released in July 2020.

Enabling SKAdNetwork Tracking

To enable SKAdNetwork tracking for your app, turn on the skAdNetworkEnabled configuration option before initializing Singular:

// instantiate SingularConfig
SingularConfig* config = [[SingularConfig alloc] initWithApiKey:apiKey andSecret:secretKey];
// add the skAdNetworkEnabled option and set it to YES
config.skAdNetworkEnabled = YES;
// start
[Singular start:config];

Handling Conversion Value Updates

Managed Mode

By default, the SKAdNetwork implementation manages the conversion value directly from the Singular server side.

This allows for maximum flexibility as you can set and change your conversion values through the Singular web app, without modifying your client-side code.

This server-side managed mode also helps you deal with the SKAdNetwork timers. SKAdNetwork allows you to update the conversion value within 24 hours from the time of registration to SKAdNetwork. Any call to update the conversion value extends the timer by 24 more hours. Therefore, when choosing your conversion events, you'll have to make sure the events happen within that update window. In managed mode, you can change the conversion event configuration at any time, without releasing a new version of your app.

Manual Mode

If you want to update the conversion value on your own in the app code, set manualSkanConversionManagement to YES when you initialize the SDK:

SingularConfig* config = 
[[SingularConfig alloc] initWithApiKey:apiKey andSecret:secretKey];

// Enable SKAdNetwork
config.skAdNetworkEnabled = YES;

// Enable manual conversion value updates
config.manualSkanConversionManagement = YES;

[Singular start:config];

Then, to update the conversion value, use the skanUpdateConversionValue method wherever needed in your app's lifecycle:

// signup event happened
[Singular event:@"SignUp"];

// update conversion value to 7
[Singular skanUpdateConversionValue:7];

Retrieving the Conversion Value

To get the current conversion value, use the skanGetConversionValue method. This method works in both managed and manual mode.

NSNumber* conversionValue = [Singular skanGetConversionValue];

Advanced Options

Delaying the Registration for SKAdNetwork

If you don't want to register for SKAdNetwork tracking right when you initialize the SDK, but at a later point in the app lifecycle, you can initialize the SDK with skAdNetworkEnabled = "no". Then, to register for SKAdNetwork, use the skanRegisterAppForAdNetworkAttribution method:

// Instantiate SingularConfig
SingularConfig* config = [[SingularConfig
alloc] initWithApiKey:apiKey andSecret:secretKey];

// Disable SKAdNetwork registration
config.skAdNetworkEnabled = NO;

// start
[Singular start:config];

// Later on - register for SKAdNetwork
[Singular skanRegisterAppForAdNetworkAttribution];

Other iOS 14 Updates

AppTrackingTransparency Consent Handling

Another major change in iOS 14 is that you are now required to ask for user consent (using the App Tracking Transparency framework) before you can access some user data - including using the device's IDFA value.

Singular strongly benefits from having the IDFA to identify devices and perform install attribution. If Singular doesn't have the device's IDFA, it can still perform probabilistic attribution (learn more). However, since identifier-based attribution is more accurate, we want to take advantage of the IDFA whenever we can.

For that purpose, you should ask for consent to get the IDFA and retrieve it before the Singular SDK sends a user session to the Singular servers. Once the SDK fires a session, it triggers Singular's install attribution process - based only on the data that is available to Singular at that point.

To delay the SDK from firing a session, you can initialize the Singular SDK with the waitForTrackingAuthorizationWithTimeoutInterval option (see sample code below).

1. The SDK will start recording a session and user events but will not send them to the Singular server yet.
2. As soon as App Tracking Transparency consent is granted/denied, or the set time elapses, the SDK will send the session and any queued events to the Singular server (with or without the IDFA).
3. Singular will then start the attribution process, taking advantage of the IDFA if it is available, or using probabilistic attribution if the IDFA is not available.

Sample code:

SingularConfig* config = 
[[SingularConfig alloc] initWithApiKey:apiKey andSecret:secretKey];

// Register for SKAdNetwork tracking
config.skAdNetworkEnabled = YES

// Wait 5m for tracking authorization before sending any events
config.waitForTrackingAuthorizationWithTimeoutInterval = 300

// start
[Singular start:config];

// call requestTrackingAuthorizationWithCompletionHandler 
// from ATTrackingManager to start the user consent process
[ATTrackingManager requestTrackingAuthorizationWithCompletionHandler:
^(ATTrackingManagerAuthorizationStatus status){
    // your authorization handler here
    // note: the Singular SDK will automatically detect if authorization 
    // has been given and initialize itself
}];

The following table summarizes the possible scenarios using this integration: