Privacy guide

What is AppsFlyer? How apps know where you came from.

Mobile attribution explained with AppsFlyer: how apps track which ad or link made you install, what is collected, and the privacy questions to ask.

The simple answer

AppsFlyer is a mobile-attribution tool. It helps apps figure out which ad, link or campaign led you to install and open them, so marketing budgets can be measured.

To do this, attribution tools use device and click signals to match your install to a source. For you, it means even how you arrived at an app can be tracked and tied to advertising.

What to check

1
Understand installs can be traced to an ad or link.

If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.

2
Look for attribution or measurement partners in policies.

If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.

3
Check device and advertising-ID settings.

If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.

4
Limit ad tracking in your phone settings.

If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.

From our investigation

Even your install is attributed.

In the investigation, attribution tools mattered because tracking starts before you even open an app, linking your install back to advertising.

What to do next

1
Limit or reset your advertising ID.

Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.

2
Review app-tracking permissions on your phone.

Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.

3
Ask apps which attribution partners they use.

Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.

People also ask

What is mobile attribution?

It is matching an app install or action to the ad, link or campaign that drove it, so marketing can be measured.

Does AppsFlyer track me personally?

Attribution typically uses device and advertising signals rather than your name, but it still affects privacy.

How do I limit it?

Limit ad tracking and reset your advertising ID in phone settings, and review app permissions.

If you are a company
Check your own website.

How many trackers run on your pages? Does your privacy policy name them? Can you answer a data-rights email? If you don't know, we can help you find out.

Talk to Meridian Bridge Strategy →
Your right under Indian law
Mera data mera hai.

Your personal data belongs to you. Under DPDP, every company must tell you what they have and delete it if you ask. One email is all it takes.

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Read the full investigation.

We investigated 107 Indian company websites. The public report shows what we found.

Read the reportTry the experience