Google publishes its own explanation of the unavoidable differences: Discrepancies in App Conversion Attribution.
Google Ads FAQ
Installs aren't showing up in Google Ads
Installs aren't showing up in Google Ads
Walk through this checklist.
Confirm the Google Ads integration is active in Linkrunner
Open Settings → Google Ads integration and verify the Link ID is saved for the correct platform (Android or iOS).
Import first_open in Google Ads
On the Google Ads Conversions summary page, confirm the
first_open conversion event is imported. If it was previously deleted, follow Re-enabling Previously Deleted Events. Full setup: Importing Events for Conversion Actions Setup.Check MCC vs. sub-account responsibility
If you run from an MCC (manager account) with sub-accounts, either:
- The MCC imports
first_openon behalf of all linked sub-accounts, or - The MCC shares the Link ID with the sub-account, and the sub-account imports
first_openitself.
first_open conversions are missing in Google Ads
first_open conversions are missing in Google Ads
You most likely haven’t imported
first_open as a conversion action. Follow Importing Events for Conversion Actions Setup.In-app events aren't appearing in the Google Ads dashboard
In-app events aren't appearing in the Google Ads dashboard
Verify events reach Linkrunner
Trigger the event in your app (on iOS, allow tracking so the IDFA is available) and confirm it appears in your Linkrunner dashboard.
Verify postbacks to Google Ads are enabled
In the Linkrunner Google Ads integration tab, confirm the event is mapped and postbacks are enabled.
Import the event in Google Ads
From Google Ads, go to Tools → Conversions and import the event. See Importing Events for Conversion Actions Setup.
Conversions can take up to 6 hours to appear in Google Ads after the event is performed.
Do I need to import session_start?
Do I need to import session_start?
It depends on the campaign type.
- User acquisition campaigns: Not mandatory.
- Re-engagement campaigns: Recommended. Import
session_startto measure engagements.
Using multiple Google Ads accounts
Using multiple Google Ads accounts
Linkrunner works with a single Link ID per platform. Generate one Link ID in Google Ads and share it across the relevant accounts. See Google’s documentation on sharing Link IDs.
MCC-level vs. account-level Link IDs
MCC-level vs. account-level Link IDs
Both are supported. Work with your Google Ads representative to confirm the account structure, especially if multiple teams or agencies manage the same ad accounts.
How Android and iOS attribution differs
How Android and iOS attribution differs
Google is a Self-Reporting Network (SRN), so Google Ads reports its own attributed installs and events back to Linkrunner through its API.
- Android: Requires GAID collection. The Linkrunner SDK captures GAID automatically when the user has not opted out.
- iOS: Measurement happens via SKAdNetwork (SKAN). Google Ads sends SKAN postbacks to Linkrunner, and installs with
did_win=TRUEare counted. Deterministic SDK attribution only works when the user grants ATT and the IDFA is available. See SKAdNetwork integration and iOS Campaign Data Limitations.
What causes discrepancies
The differences fall into three groups.Timing
Google Ads dates conversions to the ad click. Linkrunner dates them to the first app open (or the event itself). A Jan 5 conversion in Linkrunner can show on Jan 1 in Google Ads if the click happened then.
Counting
As an SRN, Google attributes every install that follows any Google Ads engagement within its window. Linkrunner uses last-click attribution, deduplicates across networks, and counts one install per user.
iOS (SKAN)
On iOS, Linkrunner counts only SKAN postbacks with
did_win=TRUE. Google Ads treats all SKAN events the same, so its dashboard typically reports more iOS installs.Row-by-row comparison
| Area | Google Ads | Linkrunner |
|---|---|---|
| Install record time | Click time | First app open (Android) or SKAN postback time (iOS) |
| In-app event record time | Click time | Dashboard views: install time. Raw data: actual event time |
| Attribution window | 30 days for installs, 90 days for in-app events | Uses Google’s API defaults; configurable per project |
| Time zones | Account local time | Project time zone |
| View-through conversions | Shown in All conversions column, not Conversions column by default | Click-through and view-through surfaced separately when Google provides them |
| Assisted installs | Every install following any engagement within the window is credited | Last-click attribution; earlier engagements are assists |
| Reinstalls | Reported as session_start conversions | Surfaced as re-attributions in the remarketing view |
| Count setting | ”Every” conversion counted | One install per user; multiple occurrences of the same in-app event |
| Processing delay | Up to 24 hours | Near real time |
| Deduplication | Reports all claims, including overlap with other networks | Credits a single source per user |
| SKAN installs (iOS) | Counts postbacks with did_win=TRUE and did_win=NULL together | Counts only did_win=TRUE |
Web-to-App is a Linkrunner-specific case. When a Google Ads click originates from a web page that carries
gad_campaignid in its referrer URL, Linkrunner attributes the resulting install to the original SEARCH campaign from the referrer rather than the App Campaign returned by Google’s API. This keeps the real source intact across the web → install handoff. Google Ads will still report the install under the App Campaign, which produces a predictable per-campaign discrepancy.Troubleshooting checklist
If the gap is much bigger than expected:- Event is imported in the correct Google Ads account.
- Event is mapped and enabled in the Linkrunner → Google Ads integration.
- The correct Link ID is saved in Linkrunner and shared with the right MCC sub-account.
- iOS: SKAdNetwork is configured and you’re running App Campaigns. See SKAdNetwork integration.
- Android: cross-check the re-install rate in the Google Play Developer Console to rule out measurement-model differences.
For any questions or assistance, please contact us at support@linkrunner.io.