How Play Install Referrer attribution works
On Android, deterministic attribution doesn't need device ids. The Google Play Install Referrer preserves your click's parameters through the install, so the SDK can read them on first launch and match the install to the exact click.
The click id round-trip
Your ad/link URL carries a click id; Play stores it; the SDK reads it via the Install Referrer API on first launch; the server matches it to the stored click.
Privacy-friendly
No IDFA, no GAID required, no fingerprinting — just the referrer Google already provides.
FAQ
- Is this deterministic?
- Yes — the click id maps 1:1 to a click record, unlike probabilistic fingerprinting.
Last updated 2026-07-04