How We Found the Issue
Challenge: Traffic acquisition for a soft launch on Meta Ads.
Client: Auto-chess RPG game, League of Masters.
Before partnering with ADVGO42, the client ran small-scale campaigns in-house.
After standard integration and audit, we noticed discrepancies – Facebook reported one install while AppsFlyer showed three.
Having double-checked the setup, however, we postponed resolving the issue since KPIs were being met and other tasks took priority.
The Problem Escalates
Within 1-1.5 months, the campaigns’ performance worsened – CPI kept rising, exceeding regional benchmarks by 3x despite optimizations.
Our first move was to optimize traffic buying since the initial tech audit revealed no errors.
Simultaneously, we conducted a detailed review of the tracking setup to ensure accuracy.
The Error Discovered: AppsFlyer GAID Missing Issue
Over 1 week
- AppsFlyer reported 1,131 installs, while Facebook only showed 406.
- Raw data showed that more than 99% of installs had a zero ad ID, which is very unusual for an Android app. For other clients, the zero ad ID rate was only 5% for the same period.
- Similar discrepancies were also seen in organic data, not just in Facebook.
Key Takeaways for App Developer
- Analyze Raw Data: Insights not found in typical reports, such as device models or install times, can provide key clues to tracking errors.
- Follow Documentation: Platforms like AppsFlyer provide detailed tracking setup guides for marketers, not just developers. These are often available in multiple languages.
Communicating with AppsFlyer Support
Since our team was unfamiliar with this specific tracking error, we reached out to AppsFlyer support. When contacting support, it’s crucial to provide detailed information to avoid delays. Vague questions like “Why isn’t my campaign working?” won’t yield useful answers.
Instead, we submitted a comprehensive support request with details such as:
- AppsFlyer account email and app ID
- Google Play link
- Screenshots and raw data exports
Tips for Effective Support Communication:
- Provide as much relevant data as possible to speed up the process.
- Communicate in English to improve clarity.
- Respond to support quickly to keep the issue relevant.
Resolution: Fixing the AD_ID Permissions Error
AppsFlyer support identified the issue: incorrect permissions in the manifest.xml file, where the AD_ID permission wasn’t set up properly. Specifically, the wrong line had been automatically added during SDK integration:
<uses-permission android:name=”com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID” tools:node=”remove”/>
instead of
<uses-permission android:name=”android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID”/>
This was the cause of the missing GAID (Google Advertising ID) data, which directly impacted our tracking accuracy.
Results After the Fix
The client quickly corrected the issue and pushed an update to Google Play.
Right after the update, Facebook started receiving significantly more postbacks from AppsFlyer, leading to improved campaign performance:
- CPI dropped from $1.7 to $0.4.
- Day-1 retention rate improved from 21% to 27%.
- Conversion rates for in-app events doubled.