> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkrunner.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# iOS Campaign Data Limitations
> Why some campaign metrics show as unavailable for iOS campaigns and where to find iOS data instead
You may notice an Apple icon next to certain metrics in your campaign dashboard — this means the data isn't measurable for iOS campaigns due to Apple's privacy changes. Here's what changed and where to find iOS data instead.
## What changed with iOS privacy
Apple introduced a series of privacy changes that fundamentally altered how iOS app attribution works:
| Timeline | Change | Impact |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Before 2021** | Apps could freely access device identifiers (IDFA) | Full user-level attribution and tracking |
| **iOS 14.5 (2021)** | App Tracking Transparency (ATT) required opt-in consent | \~75% of users opted out, breaking deterministic attribution |
| **iOS 16.1+ (2023)** | SKAdNetwork 4.0 became the primary attribution method | Attribution is now aggregated, delayed, and privacy-thresholded |
These limitations affect **all** mobile attribution tools, not just Linkrunner. Any platform reporting user-level iOS campaign data post-ATT is either using modeled estimates or limited to the small percentage of users who opted in.
## Affected metrics
The following metrics cannot be reliably measured at the campaign level for iOS-only campaigns. When unavailable, they appear as **"-"** with the Apple icon tooltip.
| Metric | Why it's affected |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Revenue** | Cannot attribute revenue back to a specific iOS campaign without user-level identity |
| **ROAS** | Requires revenue attribution, which depends on user-level tracking |
| **CPI** | Install counts from SKAN are aggregated and delayed, making per-campaign cost calculations unreliable |
| **CPS** | Sign-up attribution is unavailable, so cost-per-signup cannot be calculated |
| **Spend** | Ad network spend data may still be available, but cannot be matched to Linkrunner attribution data |
| Metric | Why it's affected |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Sign-ups** | Post-install events cannot be attributed to specific campaigns without user-level identity |
| **Uninstalls** | Uninstall tracking relies on device tokens that cannot be tied back to campaigns |
| **Suspicious Installs** | Fraud detection signals require user-level data that is no longer available |
| Metric | Why it's affected |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Rolling Retention** | Requires tracking individual users over time, which needs user-level attribution |
| **Classic Retention** | Same as rolling retention — day-N return rates need user-level identity |
| **Active Users** | Cannot segment active users by acquisition campaign without device-level attribution |
Any custom events you track (e.g. `purchase`, `level_complete`, `add_to_cart`) cannot be attributed back to the originating iOS campaign. The events are still recorded — they just can't be tied to a specific campaign source.
## What you CAN still measure
Even with these privacy limitations, iOS campaign measurement isn't completely gone — it has shifted to Apple's privacy-preserving framework:
* **SKAN postbacks** — aggregated install and conversion data sent by Apple
* **Conversion values** — encode post-install behavior (revenue tiers, engagement signals) within Apple's privacy thresholds
* **Privacy tier distribution** — understand how much data Apple is sharing for your campaigns
* **Campaign-level install trends** — track install volume patterns over time via SKAN
View aggregated iOS attribution data including installs, conversion values, and privacy tiers.
Configure SKAdNetwork integration to start receiving iOS attribution data.
## Tips for better iOS measurement
* **Consolidate iOS campaigns** — fewer campaigns means more data per campaign, which helps meet Apple's privacy thresholds and reduces null conversion values.
* **Set up SKAN conversion values** — define a [conversion value schema](/features/skadnetwork-conversion-values) to capture the post-install signals that matter most (revenue tiers, key events, retention).
* **Use mixed-platform campaigns** — if your campaign targets both iOS and Android, the Android portion will still provide full user-level metrics alongside the SKAN data for iOS.
* **Check your SKAN Dashboard regularly** — the [SKAN Dashboard](/features/skan-dashboard/overview) is purpose-built for iOS measurement and shows data that the standard campaign view cannot.