App Store metric · Verified 2026-10-12
App Store acquisition sources
Read Search, Browse, app referrer, web referrer, and campaign traffic with the right attribution caveats.
In brief
App Store Connect attributes discovery and downstream activity to source types including App Store Search, Browse, app referrers, web referrers, and campaigns.
The platform definition
Apple records a download source and can attribute subsequent sales, usage, and subscription data to it. A later manual redownload can reset the source.
The common misread
Source is not the same as motivation. App Store Search includes search-result ads, and brand demand may have been created elsewhere.
The decision it can support
Use source comparisons to find where qualified customers originate, then compare activation, retention, proceeds, and refunds—not downloads alone.
Read the number with territory, device, source, product version, and enough time context. A metric can describe an outcome without identifying its cause.
Primary sources
Rules and interfaces move. Recheck these sources before submission-sensitive work.