Assisted installs

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Introduction

In today’s competitive mobile marketing landscape, understanding the complete user journey is critical for optimizing ad spend and combating fraud. Assisted installs—app installs influenced by multiple touchpoints (clicks or views) before the final download—play a pivotal role in multi-touch attribution. Traditional platforms struggle to track these journeys accurately, especially in a post-IDFA/ATT world. This is where GeeLark revolutionizes the space.

Unlike antidetect browsers or emulators, GeeLark operates as a cloud-based antidetect phone, simulating a full Android system environment on real hardware. This approach provides marketers with unparalleled precision in tracking assisted installs while mitigating fraud risks like click flooding and install hijacking.

Definition and Mechanics

Assisted installs occur when users interact with multiple ad touchpoints before installing an app. Each prior interaction is called an “assist.” Multi-touch attribution models credit the last touchpoint (final click) for the install while revealing the full journey, including assists.

Importance in Mobile Marketing

  • Optimization: Identify high-performing touchpoints to allocate budgets effectively.
  • Fraud Detection: Expose anomalies such as click flooding and install hijacking.
  • Post-IDFA Challenges: With Apple’s ATT framework limiting deterministic attribution, hardware-level fingerprinting offers a robust alternative.
  • Reporting Insights: Robust assisted installs reporting and assisted installs metrics help you view assisted installs across channels.

Incomplete Data

Traditional platforms often miss assists due to cookie limitations, device resets, or app sandboxing, making it hard to install assisted installs data accurately.

Fraud Vulnerabilities

  • Click Flooding: Fraudsters bombard systems with fake clicks to dilute genuine data.
  • Install Hijacking: Malware intercepts legitimate installs, claiming attribution via techniques like click injection.

Core Technology

  • Cloud Phone Infrastructure: Real Android devices hosted in the cloud, enabling authentic app execution.
  • Deterministic Fingerprinting: Hardware-backed device signals replace cookies and IDFA for reliable attribution.

Key Advantages

  • Fraud Resistance: Unique hardware fingerprints resist spoofing.
  • Full App Execution: Runs the complete Android OS versus browser-only solutions.
  • Privacy Compliance: No IDFA dependency, fully compatible with ATT requirements.
  • End-to-End Tracking: See every step of the user journey assisted by multiple touchpoints.

Multi-Touch Attribution Models

  • Visual Journey Mapping: Track every interaction from first assist to final click—helping you view assisted installs in real time.
  • Dynamic Credit Allocation: Adjust attribution weights based on your campaign goals.

Fraud Detection

  • Behavioral Analysis: Flag rapid-fire clicks from a single IP or device.
  • Hardware Fingerprinting: Detect and block emulators or spoofed devices.

Real-Time Analytics

Live dashboards display assisted vs. last-click installs, ROI by channel, and live fraud alerts—crucial for optimizing budget on install assisted campaigns.

Step 1: Integration

Connect GeeLark with ad networks (Google Ads, Meta) and MMPs (Adjust, AppsFlyer) via APIs to start assist data collection.

Step 2: Data Workflow

  1. User interacts with ads—touchpoints logged in GeeLark.
  2. Install occurs—GeeLark attributes assists and last click.
  3. Marketers optimize campaigns based on assisted installs metrics.

Customization

  • Define attribution windows (e.g., 7-day view + 1-day click).
  • Whitelist or blacklist traffic sources as needed.

Gaming App

  1. Balance Paid vs. Organic: Use assisted-install data to identify undervalued organic assists.
  2. Fraud Rules: Set thresholds for click-to-install time (e.g., block clicks under one second).
  3. Iterative Testing: Continuously validate touchpoints with A/B experiments to refine view assisted strategies.

Conclusion

GeeLark redefines mobile attribution by combining hardware-level fingerprinting with cloud-based Android app execution. For marketers focusing on assisted installs, it delivers full journey visibility, robust fraud resilience, and seamless privacy compliance. Integrate GeeLark into your marketing stack and unlock analytics-driven optimization for sustainable growth.

People Also Ask

What is an organic install?

An organic install occurs when a user downloads and installs an app without any direct influence from paid or owned marketing efforts. This happens when someone finds your app through app store searches, browsing, or word-of-mouth, and decides to install it on their own. Technically, it’s when the install can’t be tied to any specific ad or campaign. Even if a user saw an ad earlier but installed outside the attribution window, it’s considered organic.

What is an install in AppsFlyer?

In AppsFlyer, an install is counted when a user downloads an app and opens it for the first time with the AppsFlyer SDK integrated. The SDK detects that initial launch, attributes it to the proper campaign or source, and sends an install postback. This “first open” install event serves as the core user-acquisition metric in AppsFlyer.

What is organic download?

An organic download happens when a user installs an app without any influence from paid or owned marketing channels. It occurs through natural discovery—app store search, browsing, word-of-mouth or external referrals—and isn’t attributed to ads or campaigns. Even if a user saw an ad earlier but installs outside its attribution window, that install is treated as organic.

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