AppsFlyer just released its newest report, ATT – One Year On, a detailed examination of the impact that Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework had on mobile marketing measurement, budget, and consumer spend revenue, one year after its enforcement commenced. The findings of this report are especially beneficial to UAE marketers as the majority of iPhone users in the country have adopted iOS 14.5 or higher.

A year into ATT enforcement, its adoption is widespread, with 80% of apps implementing the ATT prompt (showing it to their users). In addition, opt-in rates also grew in the past year, where month after month, AppsFlyer data has shown that over half (55%) of users in the UAE in the UAE have tapped the ‘Allow’ button when shown the prompt. While mobile marketers initially worried over the user experience risk of the prompt, it is clear that, after a year, the benefits of showing the prompt far outweigh the benefits of not showing it due to a user experience concern.

With new data privacy standards largely in place thanks to ATT, the key going forward is to help businesses grow with data-driven collaboration and insights that are privacy-compliant.

In the ATT – One Year On report, AppsFlyer broke down global trends that displayed the impact of privacy on the mobile marketing space, including:

• iOS non-organic installs (NOIs) increased 7% year-over-year, but Android surged 4x faster in the same period. The ability to measure non-organic installs on iOS has vastly improved in the past six months thanks to SKAdNetwork adoption, innovation in measurement, and increased confidence among marketers in their ability to measure iOS campaigns. Despite an initial drop, NOIs in iOS recovered and increased 7% year-over-year (Q1 2022 vs. Q1 2021). However, Android is the real winner with a 28% year-over-year surge.
• After an initial plunge in Q3 2021, iOS budgets increased 65% in the last six months, driven by a surge in the cost of media. With that said, budgets remain 9% lower year-over-year.
• Only 3% drop in iOS cost per install (CPI) from Q4 2021 to Q1 2022 after a 58% spike between Q1 and Q3 in 2021. The initial spike in 2021 was due to the substantial increase in the price of media in iOS, and the spike drove budgets upward despite measuring fewer non-organic installs. While CPI jumped 15% in Q3 and another 20% in Q4 2021, Q1 2022 finally saw the stabilization of CPI, indicating that media sources have improved their conversion modeling capabilities to better predict impact with limited post-install data from SKAdNetwork.
• 30% drop in the IDFA rate on average between showing the ATT prompt on first launch vs showing it two hours later. Apps control when to show the ATT prompt and this can have a significant impact on opt-in rates. AppsFlyer data clearly shows that consent is highest when users launch an app for the first time, likely among other in-app notifications shown to users upon launch.
• 30% higher consent in developing countries, as users in developed markets are more sensitive to data privacy. Sensitivity to and awareness of data privacy and security are significantly higher in developed markets, except for France. The consent rate in France was 35% higher than in other Western European countries in both gaming and non-gaming apps.

“Apple’s landmark iOS 14 privacy update and the recent introduction of the UAE Personal Data Protection Law are strong indicators of the market’s prioritization of user privacy. This of course has required mobile marketers to adapt their marketing strategies and rethink how they measure the success of their marketing campaigns. As marketers break their addiction to user-level data, being able to analyze and work with aggregated data will be key to continued success,” said Paul Wright, Managing Director UK, FR, ME & Turkey at AppsFlyer.

“Privacy isn’t a passing trend. It’s here to stay and, ultimately, those that have the mentality to adapt and deal with any future uncertainties or changes will be best placed to succeed,” he added.