all findings
Blog
Insights

App retargeting: What marketers can do in the privacy-first era

Text Link
Blog
Insights

App retargeting: What marketers can do in the privacy-first era

Why in-app retargeting went privacy-first

As consumers have become more conscious of how their data is being used online, technology providers have adapted their mobile products in a bid to better protect their user's privacy. Let’s take a look at the two biggest players right now:

iOS and the ATT framework

Apple made the first major privacy-centric move back in 2021 with their App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, which prompted iOS users to actively opt into or out of cross-app tracking anytime a user installed an app on their device.

A large portion of users naturally opted out of being tracked – and still do, which prevents their unique device ID from being shared with mobile advertisers. Without the identifier, advertisers can't collect or track a user's behavioral activity across the other apps they are using, which means that advertisers don't have the data they need to show highly-personalized retargeting ads to users who opted out of being tracked. Apple made these privacy changes without any advance notice, forcing mobile advertisers to rethink their strategies and relearn iOS retargeting from scratch.

You can follow the volume of available ID bid requests for iOS via our free, interactive dashboard.

Android and the Privacy Sandbox

Around the same time as the ATT framework dropped, Google embarked on a similar yet longer-term plan for Android devices, with the aim of protecting user privacy in a way that would be less disruptive to the mobile advertising industry. Google's Android Privacy Sandbox initiative, (which is still in development), consists of a series of tools for advertisers to run in-app retargeting campaigns without requiring them to access a user's behavioral data. Because the data never leaves the user's device, and the ad buying process takes place there too, user privacy is fully preserved.

Google has designed their Android Privacy Sandbox in close collaboration with key industry players, such as our team here at Remerge. We are working closely with Google, along with AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular and supply partners like Verve Group, to test and shape the Android Privacy Sandbox.

Check out our Apptivate podcast episode with Google and Verve Group to learn more about how the Android Privacy Sandbox works.

Get mobile privacy news as it happens

We’ve built a knowledge hub to help mobile marketers navigate the latest privacy developments and find out how Remerge is collaborating with the tech giants to build and test solutions on both Android and iOS. Take a look and explore the newest privacy content, which includes how-to guides, blogs, videos and podcast episodes.

How privacy is impacting advertisers

When the shift towards privacy came about, the industry perception was that mobile retargeting and ad personalization would quickly die out. However, based on what we’ve seen from Apple's privacy updates and Google's plans for the Privacy Sandbox, the reality has not been as bleak. App marketers can still run high-performing retargeting campaigns for Android users, and for iOS users who have opted into cross-app tracking.

In 'The state of app retargeting' report we evaluate why retargeting remains a viable option when growing an app in the privacy-first era. The report includes some of our performance data and features insights from mobile marketing experts across multiple verticals, including gaming, food delivery, and e-commerce.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

Key takeaways from our report on 'the state of app retargeting'

1. Take advantage of available ID inventory to re-engage users

Although the volume of available ID-enabled traffic on iOS has dropped (90% before ATT and around 54% today), the portion of identifiable users is still large enough to run effective retargeting campaigns on iOS. As it stands, more than half of the inventory on iOS still has an IDFA - which is almost 40 billion bid requests per day. App marketers are taking advantage of this opportunity to maximize their user's lifetime value (LTV) and increase revenues by re-engaging high-value users.

Apple’s privacy changes do not apply to Android, which makes up approximately 75% of the app ecosystem and accounts daily for over 200 billion ID-enabled bid requests, (also know as 'opportunities to show an ad').


2. Continue running in-app retargeting campaigns on Android and iOS

At Remerge, we’ve enhanced our programmatic platform and hit all-time company highs for several performance metrics since the arrival of Apple's privacy framework. As a result, our company’s retargeting revenues grew month-over-month following the launch of ATT.

Despite the arrival of the ATT framework, we delivered more ad clicks and recorded a jump in re-engagements (unique app opens) for all of our retargeting campaigns combined.

Download the report to access a breakdown of our ad clicks and re-engagements for Android and iOS.

3. Prepare for the no-ID future

Now is the ideal time for app marketers to collect more data and insights about their users’ behavior and interests. This type of information will lay the foundations for optimizing app growth campaigns on no-ID traffic (i.e. SKAdNetwork and incrementality campaigns).

The sooner app marketers start running retargeting campaigns, the more data points they will acquire about their audiences, such as which other apps they have downloaded or at what time of the day they make purchases. This data allows algorithms (and people) to learn which publishers and campaign setups will yield the best performance results.

« In-app retargeting remains a key strategy in continuing to engage users who play our games »
Mandy Lin, User Acquisition Executive, Gumi

Rethink your mobile marketing strategies

Apple’s privacy changes may not have had the devastating impact many expected, but it has forced app marketers to revisit their mobile marketing strategies. We asked some of our clients why they are investing in retargeting after the launch of ATT and what advice they would give to those deciding whether to run these types of campaigns on Android and iOS.

Access the full analysis in The state of app retargeting
, which includes the thoughts of mobile marketers at Gumi, Spoon Radio, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Woowa Brothers, Renta!, Joom, Blind Ferret, Tutoring, Headlight, and Etermax.

Mandy Lin, User Acquisition Executive, Gumi

“In-app retargeting remains a key strategy in continuing to engage users who play our games. Within the mobile gaming industry, increased competition has made it more difficult to retain users, and so in-app retargeting is very helpful in making sure we continue to engage our users beyond the point of install.”

Victor Hernandez, Senior Mobile Performance Manager, Lieferando

App retargeting is changing as there is now less ad personalization and less accuracy. But it’s still possible and you will miss out on a huge opportunity if you don’t engage with your existing customers.”

More insights on in-app retargeting

Access all of the insights on the state of app retargeting in our new report.


Event photos
Join our newsletter

Subscribe

* indicates required

By submitting this form, I confirm that I agree to the collection and processing of personal data by Remerge, as further described in the Privacy Policy.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices.

Suggested findings

More thoughts. More stories.

Blog
Insights
How on-demand apps can maximize revenue with in-app retargeting
January 22, 2026
Blog
Insights
How on-demand apps can maximize revenue with in-app retargeting
January 22, 2026
Blog
Insights
AppsFlyer ranks Remerge in top 3 for global gaming on Android
December 3, 2025
Blog
Insights
AppsFlyer ranks Remerge in top 3 for global gaming on Android
December 3, 2025
Blog
Insights
Israel Mobile Summit 2025 - Event highlights
November 17, 2025
Blog
Insights
Israel Mobile Summit 2025 - Event highlights
November 17, 2025
Blog
Insights
App Talk by Remerge in Seoul 2025: Where Trends Meet Tomorrow
November 6, 2025
Blog
Insights
App Talk by Remerge in Seoul 2025: Where Trends Meet Tomorrow
November 6, 2025
Blog
Insights
Flyerside Chats - Remerge discusses retargeting with AppsFlyer
September 26, 2025
Blog
Insights
Flyerside Chats - Remerge discusses retargeting with AppsFlyer
September 26, 2025
Blog
Insights
How Chinese apps are going global with iOS retargeting
July 21, 2025
Blog
Insights
How Chinese apps are going global with iOS retargeting
July 21, 2025
Ep 227: How to find the leaks in your app’s marketing funnel
March 11, 2026
Ep 226: Common LTV mistakes and how to avoid them
February 25, 2026
Ep 225: Dissecting app growth with Louis Tanguay from AGS
February 11, 2026
Company
Product
Case Studies
Guides & Reports
Client Spotlight
Featured
Podcast
Blog
Insights
Retargeting lexicon
Programmatic Advertising

The automated process of buying and selling advertising space through digital platforms.

View-Through Attribution
view-through-attribution

Refer to: Attribution Methodology

Uplift Test
uplift-test

A randomized control trial test conducted by Remerge to measure the incremental impact of one or more campaigns.

See also: Randomized Controlled Trial

Uplift Report
uplift-report

A report by Remerge showing the results of an uplift test. It presents the incremental revenue generated, on top of organic and other marketing-driven conversions. Also contains observed values such as ad spend, group sizes, amount of conversions, converters, and revenues per group, plus other metrics.

SKAdNetwork
skadnetwork

Stands for Store Kit Advertising Network. Apple’s measurement framework for tracking mobile attribution. Introduced in 2018 and widely implemented in 2020 with the iOS 14.5 update.

Segment
segment

A group of users with common attributes such as location, demographics, activity level, value or amount of purchases, and how recently they last opened a specific app.

Retention Rate
retention-rate

The share of users active in the app within certain time frames after install, reengagement, or other events.

Retargeting
retargeting

A type of marketing channel used by an app owner to engage with their existing users through other channels within the same device. Usually, the aim is to encourage users to complete a particular task e.g. completing a purchase, buying in-game currency, placing a first order. The conventional way of retargeting relies on user IDs, such as AAID and IDFA.

Reshuffle
reshuffle

Reshuffle indicates the randomization and marking of users when they were once part of a test or control group.

In incrementality measurement, reshuffling the group assignment for a specific application fights aggregated bias over time where one group doesn't see any ads while the other group is constantly exposed to them.

Reshuffling is relevant in cases where a test has been running for a long time and/or in campaigns the experience more extensive changes to the campaign setups, segmentation, or creative strategy.

Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
real-time-bidding-rtb

The process by which individual ad placements are bought and sold via programmatic auctions that happen instantaneously. With real-time bidding, ad buyers bid on an ad space, which, if the auction is won, instantly displays the buyer's ad. This lets demand-side players such as advertisers or DSPs optimize the purchase of ad placements from multiple sources.

Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)
randomised-controlled-trial-rct

A method that randomly separates a specific population into two groups that are as similar to each other as possible, namely the test group and control group.

further reading
Queries Per Second (QPS)
queries-per-second-qps

The number of ad placements a DSP is able to process in order to determine on how to bid on them.

Publisher
publisher

Within the sphere of app marketing, a publisher is an App Developer that gets paid for placing ads within their app. For example, an advertiser wants to reach their users via App Y, so they pay App Y to display their ads.

further reading
Public Service Announcement Ad (PSA Ads)
public-service-announcement-ad-psa-ads

An incrementality testing methodology where devices in the control group are shown PSA ads, like donation drives or road safety reminders. By serving real ads, information on the devices within the control group that would have been exposed can be obtained. Unexposed devices are excluded from the measurement to reduce noise.

Probabilistic Attribution
probabilistic-attribution

Refer to: Attribution Methodology

Organic Behavior
organic-behavior

A user’s behavior not directly attributable to specific marketing efforts.

Multi-Touch Attribution
multi-touch-attribution

Refer to: Attribution Methodology

Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP)
mobile-measurement-partner-mmp

Within the sphere of app marketing, MMPs are a service provider that specializes in measuring activities that are happening within and leading to the app. An app publisher may incorporate an MMP into their app to track activity and events e.g. time spent on a certain screen, sources of incoming traffic, app opening frequencies etc.

Lifetime Value (LTV)
lifetime-value-ltv

The amount of revenue generated by the user for the App Developer during the entire duration of the relationship with the user, beginning with the app install.

Last-Click Attribution
last-click-attribution

Refer to: Attribution Methodology

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
key-performance-indicator-kpi

The key metrics used to assess the effectiveness of an effort in achieving its objective. In programmatic advertising, the common types of performance indicators depend on the goals and nature of each campaign. These can include ROAS, cost per action, and retention rate.

Intent-to-Treat (ITT)
intent-to-treat-itt

An incrementality testing methodology where no ads from the campaign are shown to devices within the control group. Also known as a ‘holdout test’. Cost-free and easy to implement, but with a relatively high level of noise.

This method compares the behavior of all users in both groups. In the test group, this includes both exposed and unexposed users

Incrementality
incrementality

A method of measuring the impact of a specific activity, on top of organic and other activity.

Incremental Revenue (iRevenue)
incremental-revenue-irevenue

The estimated revenue caused directly by the campaign.

Formula:Revenue from test group – revenue from control group = iRevenue

Incremental Return On Ad Spend (iROAS)
incremental-return-on-ad-spend-iroas

A KPI used in calculating how cost-efficient a campaign is. This is used to evaluate the relationship between incremental revenue and the amount of money spent on the campaign. The figure is typically represented in percentage.

Formula:
Percentage: [IRevenue ÷ ad spend] × 100 = IROAS%
Ratio: IRevenue ÷ ad spend = IROAS

Incremental Cost Per Action (iCPA)
incremental-cost-per-action-icpa

A KPI used to evaluate the cost of incremental conversions.

Formula:Ad spend ÷ [test group actions – control group actions] = iCPA

Incremental Conversions
incremental-conversions

The estimated amount of conversions caused directly by the campaign.

Formula:
Test group conversions – control group conversions (scaled) = Incremental conversions

In-app Event
in-app-event

Actions made by a user within the app, such as log-in, registration, completion of onboarding, or purchases. These events can be tracked with the help of an MMP.

Impression
impression

The deployment of the ad to the ad placement. An impression might not necessarily mean that the ad has been viewed.

Identifier for advertisers (IDFA)
identifier-for-advertisers-idfa

A unique random device identifier Apple generates and assigns to every iOS device. Advertisers can use this to track user activity across apps, show them personalized ads, and attribute ad interactions.

Ghost Ads
ghost-ads

A testing methodology that shows devices in the control group an ad ran by another advertiser on the platform, therefore removing any additional cost for clicks and impressions. The control group behavior is then marked with a ‘ghost impression’, which gives the information on which control group users would have been exposed.

further reading
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr

A regulation under the EU (European Union) law on data protection and privacy within the EU and the EEA (European Economic Area), that grants users control over how their data is stored and used by organizations. To comply with GDPR, programmatic sellers must clearly communicate to users how their data will be stored and used. When a user gives consent to an organization to process their data, it enables targeted advertising.

Exposure Rate
exposure-rate

The percentage of devices within a test group that received at least one ad impression, versus the total number of devices within the test group targeted within a campaign during an uplift test. For example, if 900 out of 1,000 users are shown an ad, the exposure rate is 90%.

See also: Uplift Test

Deterministic Attribution
deterministic-attribution

Refer to: Attribution Methodology

Deep link
deep-link

A link that sends users directly to a specific in-app location, instead of the app marketplace. Deep links bypass the steps needed to go through to reach a conversion point, bringing the user directly to where they can perform the intended action e.g. completing a purchase, buying coins, placing an order.

Test Group
test-group

Within the sphere of app marketing, this refers to the group of devices that may be shown ads from a specific campaign in the test. The actions on these devices are then compared to the actions on the devices in the control group.

Compare with: Control Group

further reading
Control Group
control-group

Within the sphere of app marketing, this refers to the group of devices within the target audience that are not shown ads from a specific campaign in the test. The actions on these devices are then compared to the actions on the devices in the test group.

Compare with: Test Group

further reading
Contextual targeting
contextual-targeting

A type of targeting that works with contextual signals only, such as location data (country, city, postal code), language setting, mobile operating system, device model, as well as publisher information.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
california-consumer-privacy-act-ccpa

A bill that enhances privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California, United States. The CCPA took effect on January 1, 2020.

The CCPA provides these rights to consumers:

- Know what personal data is being collected about them.
- Know whether their personal data is sold or disclosed, and to whom.
- Say no to the sale of personal data.
- Access their personal data.
- Request a business to delete any personal information that was collected from that consumer.
- Equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights.

Attribution Window
attribution-window

A specific time frame that is taken into consideration when determining the source of a user’s action.

Attribution Provider (AP)
attribution-provider-ap

A role played by an MMP to credit the in-app activity of users to the correct media sources.

Attribution Methodology
attribution-methodology

Refers to the process of identifying which conversions belong to which preceding click or impression. Common attribution methodologies include:

  • Click-Through Attribution - Determines the source of a conversion based on the user’s click activity.

  • View-Through Attribution - Determines the source of a conversion based on the ad impression delivered to the user.

  • Deterministic Attribution - A model that establishes the origin of a user’s conversion from a specific click or impression, based on unique device IDs.

  • Probabilistic Attribution - A model that establishes the likelihood of a user’s conversion originating from a specific click or impression, based on the data logged on both occasions, such as device language, timezone, IP address, and OS version.

  • Last-Touch Attribution - A model that establishes a match between the action taken by a user (e.g. app open, purchase) and its corresponding ad click or impression. When a user converts from an ad, the DSP that delivered the respective ad is given full credit for that conversion event.

  • Multi-Touch Attribution - Also known as multi-channel attribution. A model determines the value of every touchpoint on the way to a conversion. Rather than giving full credit to one ad, multi-touch attribution divides the credit among all advertising channels that the user has interacted with, leading to the conversion.
Attribution
attribution

A method of identifying the touchpoints a user has encountered within a specified period before making a conversion.

App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
app-tracking-transparency-att

The privacy framework from Apple that, among other things, manages the process of obtaining user consent before accessing their Identifier for Advertiser (IDFA).

App Monetization
app-monetization

The strategy a publisher employs to earn money from their app. This can be done through in-app advertisements, paid membership, and charging for premium features or an ad-free experience, among others. For example, some gaming apps are free to download and play, but users may need to pay in order to progress to the next level quickly.

Android Advertising identifier (AAID)
android-advertising-identifier-aaid

Also known as Google Advertising Identifier. A unique device identifier that Android generates and assigns to every device. Advertisers can use this to track user activity across apps, show them personalized ads, and attribute ad interactions.

Advertisers
advertisers

The advertiser is a person or legal entity focusing on generating sales and leads through serving ads that convey the right message to the right audience at the right time.

In mobile advertising, the advertiser is on the client-side and is the one interested in promoting an app.

Causal Impact Analysis
causal-impact-analysis

A measurement framework developed by Google that works without device IDs. It measures the incremental uplift of one or more conversion events, removing the influence of other campaigns and organic conversions. Used to assess the effect of ID-less campaigns.

Similar to measuring the effect TV ads have, the principle is based on running campaigns on identifiable sub-markets (test group), while leaving other sub-markets unexposed (control group).

Ghost Bids
ghost-bids

An incrementality testing methodology based on Ghost Ads, adapted for retargeting campaigns. The difference is that it removes all devices that are not seen on ad exchanges, or that would not be bid on, from both test and control groups, to reduce noise. A bid is placed as usual for the test group, while the control group is tracked with ‘ghost bids’ (bids that could have been placed, but weren’t in the end).

Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS)
return-on-advertising-spend-roas

A KPI that measures the relationship between the revenue generated by specific advertising efforts and the money spent on them.

Formula

Percentage: [Revenue ÷ ad spend] × 100 = ROAS%

Ratio: Revenue ÷ ad spend = ROAS

See also: Incremental Return On Ad Spend

Supply-Side Platform (SSP)
supply-side-platform-ssp

A company that works with publishers to sell ad inventory across ad networks.

Demand-Side Platform (DSP)
demand-side-platform-dsp

A company that works with advertisers to purchase ad inventory across ad networks. Their platforms are built to identify a desired ad space and place bids on it.

Compare with: Supply-Side Platform

Open RTB
open-rtb

A digital marketplace where ad inventory from multiple publishers are available for advertisers to bid on in real time.

See also: Real-Time Bidding

Self-Attributing Network
self-attributing-network

An ad network like Meta, Snap, and Twitter, that attributes its traffic internally, without the involvement of third-party MMPs.

Variable Bidding
variable-bidding

The dynamic adjustment of bid prices based on a user's in-app behavioral patterns, contextual information, time of day, and ad placement performance.

Dynamic Product Ad (DPA)
dynamic-product-ad-dpa

Also known as a dynamic ad. It is dynamically assembled based on the user’s behavior and information sourced from a feed. This type of ad delivers a tailored experience for individual users.

Real-Time Audience Segmentation
real-time-audience-segmentation

The division of an audience into distinct segments based on real-time events, thus enabling targeted advertising and alignment with a user's behavioral patterns and preferences.

User Acquisition (UA)
user-acquisition-ua

A mobile marketing effort used to attract new users to an app. Paid UA may refer to ads shown in mobile ad networks or social media channels, while non-paid UA involves app store optimization and promotion on the advertiser’s own channels.

Programmatic Advertising
programmatic-advertising

The automated process of buying and selling advertising space through digital platforms.

Blog
Insights