Is reattribution the same as a new install?

No. A new install is a first-time download. Reattribution is a tap from a user who already had the app installed (or had it installed and removed it). Both are reported but counted separately in the Apple Search Ads dashboard.

What is the reattribution window in Apple Search Ads?

Apple does not publish a strict reattribution window, but observed behavior suggests roughly 30 days after the original tap. After that, a new tap on a returning user counts as a fresh tap-driven event but does not produce a separate reattribution credit.

Should I count reattributions as conversions?

Depends on your model. Retargeting-aware operators count reattributions toward LTV because the ASA tap drove the re-engagement session. Pure new-user growth metrics typically exclude reattributions to keep CPI calculations clean.

What is Reattribution in Apple Search Ads?

What is Reattribution?

Reattribution is when Apple Search Ads credits a campaign for a returning user — a user who already had your app installed (or had it installed previously) and re-engages via an ASA tap.

It is the iOS equivalent of “re-engagement attribution” in the broader mobile ad ecosystem.

How reattribution works

Two scenarios trigger reattribution:

User has the app installed. They search for it (or a competitor / category term), see your ASA ad, tap it, and open the app from there. The tap counts as a reattribution.
User had the app installed, deleted it, then reinstalls via ASA. Apple still considers this a re-engaged user (not a brand-new install).

In both cases, the Apple Search Ads dashboard reports the event under “Reattributions” separately from “New Installs.”

Why reattributions matter

Reattributions are real value when:

Subscription apps. A lapsed subscriber returning via an ASA tap and converting to a trial again has strong LTV implications.
High-frequency utility apps. A user opening your app through an ASA tap is a session you might not have otherwise gotten — engagement metric value.
Retargeting strategy. ASA can serve as an organic retargeting channel; reattribution counts measure that.

Reattributions are noise when:

CPI / new-user growth metrics. Mixing reattributions into CPI inflates the apparent efficiency of campaigns that mostly catch returning users.
Brand campaigns. Brand campaigns naturally catch returning users (people typing your app name). Reattribution share on Brand can be 30-60%; exclude it to see true new-user acquisition cost.

Where to find reattribution data

Apple Search Ads dashboard exposes reattribution in:

Campaign-level reports (Reattributions column alongside New Installs)
Ad-services API attribution payload (the iad-purchase-date and related fields indicate the type of event)
Apple Search Ads API reports (separate metric)

Most third-party tools (ASAPilot included) surface reattribution alongside new installs so you can choose to include or exclude per analysis.

Common interpretation mistakes

Counting both reattributions and new installs in CPI. Inflates conversions; CPI looks better than it is.
Excluding reattributions entirely from value calculation. Underestimates ASA’s true contribution to LTV.
Comparing reattribution share across campaign types. Brand will always have higher reattribution share than Discovery; the ratio is meaningful within a campaign type, not across.

How ASAPilot helps

ASAPilot’s analytics layer reports new installs and reattributions separately so you can compute:

New-install CPI (the strict efficiency metric)
Total-conversion CPI (new installs + reattributions, for total value)
Reattribution share per campaign (Brand vs Category vs Discovery)

This separation matters in account audits because a campaign with 80% reattributions behaves very differently from one with 10%.

See pricing.

SKAdNetwork — the cross-network attribution standard
Ad Services API — the first-party ASA attribution API
CPI — the metric reattribution inclusion changes