Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP)

A mobile measurement partner (MMP) is a third-party platform that collects click, impression, install and in-app event data from every ad channel, then applies one shared set of rules to decide which channel gets credit. Well-known MMPs include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Branch and Kochava.

What is an MMP?

When an app runs Meta, Google, TikTok and a few other ad networks at the same time, each one reports results using its own counting method. A single install can be claimed by three of them. The MMP sits in the middle, counts that install once and passes each channel its correct share so the channel can optimize.

Google runs an App Attribution Partner (AAP) program that certifies MMPs integrated with Google Ads. The list on its help page includes Adjust, Airbridge, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava, Singular and Tenjin (Google Ads Help, About tracking app conversions with an App Attribution Partner, accessed October 2026).

What does an MMP do?

1. Adds an SDK to the app to record the first open and events such as sign-ups and purchases.
2. Creates tracking links for each channel to log clicks and views.
3. Matches installs to ads using device IDs (IDFA, Android Advertising ID) or, on Android, the Google Play Install Referrer. Probabilistic modeling is only a fallback. Adjust allows probabilistic modeling on iOS 14.5 and later only for owned channels, cross-promotion and consented web-to-app flows (Adjust Help Center, Attribution methods, accessed October 2026).
4. Reads Apple postbacks from SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit, decoding conversion values according to the app’s own mapping table.
5. Filters fraud such as install fraud and fake clicks.

How did MMPs change between 2021 and 2026?

Before 2021, MMPs matched iOS installs mostly by IDFA. Once ATT took effect in April 2021, installs from users who said no arrived only through Apple’s aggregated postbacks. MMPs picked up new work: designing conversion value schemas and merging SKAdNetwork data with AdAttributionKit, which launched with iOS 17.4 in March 2024.

On Android, Google had been testing the Attribution Reporting API as part of Privacy Sandbox. On October 17, 2025, Google announced it would retire the API on both Chrome and Android, together with Topics, Protected Audience and SDK Runtime, because of low adoption (Google Privacy Sandbox, Update on plans for Privacy Sandbox technologies, October 2025). Android measurement therefore still relies on the Advertising ID and Install Referrer, and referrer data stays available for 90 days after install (Android Developers, Play Install Referrer Library, February 2026).

Example

Hypothetical: an e-wallet app spends VND 500 million a month across three channels. Adding up the three channels’ own reports gives 26,000 installs. The MMP sees only 20,000 installs from ads, because some installs were claimed by two channels at once. Cost per install according to the MMP is VND 25,000, not the roughly VND 19,200 you get by adding up each channel’s report. Decisions about moving budget should rest on the MMP’s numbers.

How is an MMP different from ad channel reporting?

The broader concept of how installs get matched to ads is covered under mobile attribution.

Frequently asked questions

Does a new app need an MMP right away?

If you only run one channel, that channel’s reporting is usually enough. Once you run two or more paid channels, you need a single neutral counter so installs are not counted twice.

How should you choose an MMP?

Check whether it already integrates with the channels you run, whether it supports both SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit, and what its default attribution window is, so you can compare it with how each channel counts.

If you want someone to review your MMP setup for app install campaigns, see Adtek’s App User Acquisition page.