Setting up SKAdNetwork for Apple Search Ads

Apple Search Ads will begin supporting SKAdNetwork attribution starting April 10, 2025. This update allows advertisers to track performance of their Apple Search Ads campaigns through SKAN versions 1 to 3.

To ensure accurate attribution and visibility into campaign performance, it's essential to configure your SKAdNetwork setup correctly. This guide walks you through the key requirements for Apple Search Ads campaigns using SKAN, including direct postback setup and reporting identifiers.

Supported SKAN Versions

Apple Search Ads currently supports:

• SKAN 1
• SKAN 2
• SKAN 3

SKAN 4 and AdAttributionKit are not yet supported and will be rolled out in a future update.

Campaign Placement Mapping

Adjust reporting includes detailed breakdowns of campaign performance by placement. Apple maps each placement to a distinct campaign ID as follows:

These identifiers help you identify traffic sources within the Adjust Dashboard and in exported raw data.

Direct Postback Setup

To receive SKAN install postbacks from Apple Search Ads, clients must ensure that direct postback is enabled and properly configured for their apps.

Without this setup, Adjust will not receive SKAN install postbacks.

You can verify whether your app has direct postback setup by checking the Direct Installs metrics in your Adjust Dashboard: Datascape Report in Adjust Suite

Example: Apple Search Ads SKAN 3 Postback Payload

Here's an example of a SKAN 3 install postback from Apple Search Ads:

{
  "version": "3.0",
  "ad-network-id" : "com.apple.ads",
  "campaign-id": 10,
  "transaction-id": "ABC123DEF456",
  "app-id": 1125517808,
  "attribution-signature": "MEQCIDu0...sV5f",
  "redownload": false,
  "source-app-id": 987654321,
  "fidelity-type": 1,
  "conversion-value": 3,
  "did-win": true
}

For more on how to interpret SKAN postbacks, see: Understanding SKAdNetwork postbacks