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Comparing Appfigures and App Store Connect (previously iTunes Connect)
Appfigures imports data directly from Apple, so your downloads and revenue numbers are 100% accurate. Although the data we get from Apple is 100% accurate, App Store Connect has several different reports and report options that could make the data look different when compared. Using the correct report and report settings, all numbers will match. When comparing, you should use the Sales and Trends report in App Store Connect, and not the Analytics report. The Sales and Trends report includes data from all of your users and devices, while the Analytics report doesn't include data from some older devices and from users that have chosen to opt-out of analytics. For example, App Analytics excludes desktop downloads which is how Educational downloads and Business downloads are reported by Apple. If you have these downloads, they will not be available through App Analytics and only through Sales and Trends. Redownloads through App Analytics are also limited based on the device information so this dashboard will not report on the full number of redownloads. Looking at Sales and Trends will provide info on all redownloads for the app(s). We use Sales and Trends Reports with Appfigures. The Sales and Trends report has two time zone modes: UTC and PST. Apple's raw reports, the ones we import into your Appfigures account, are provided in PST format. When comparing, make sure to select PST at the top of your Sales and Trends report within App Store Connect. Using the Sales and Trends report and the PST time zone option, your numbers should align perfectly. If they don't however, please let us know.
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Adding the "Customer Support" Role in App Store Connect (Previously iTunes Connect)
For you to be able to respond to reviews right from within Appfigures you'll need the linked App Store Connect account to have a very specific role, the Customer Support role. This is required in addition to other roles necessary for syncing app data. Adding the Permission Log into your App Store Connect account, and select Users and Access Select the user that's linked to the Appfigures account Find the "Customer support" role and check the box to its left. Don't uncheck anything else. Click the "Save" button at the top of the page. You're all set! You can now respond to reviews. Note: Role changes may take several hours to reflect in App Store Connect.
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What does the message "Your Apple Store Connect account is not fully provisioned" mean?
When syncing an App Store Connect account, you may see the message "Your App Store Connect account is not fully provisioned". After a new sub account is created, Apple can take between 24-48 hours to fully process the new account. This means that while you'll be able to log into the account, raw reports Appfigures imports are not yet available. You can confirm if this is what's happening to you by logging into your sub account with App Store Connect then going to Sales and Trends > Sales and Trends Reports (below SAVED on the left hand side bar) where you'll see a message about the pending Apple ID. As soon as the sub account has been fully provisioned we'll automatically start importing available apps and corresponding reports.
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Why am I receiving a "Suspicious Activity" notification after linking my Google Play account?
Google warns of "suspicious activity a login from a geographic location that is different from your normal location is attempted. We connect to your Google account from IPs based in the United States. More specifically, we have IPs in New York and Texas. As such, if you're not from New York or Texas you might see this notice in your Google account after linking us with your Google Play developer account. To prevent this from happening, use the following link to instruct Google to allow access to the account, and then link your account: http://accounts.google.com/DisplayUnlockCaptcha Once the account is linked successfully it will continue syncing automatically every day without the need to allow access manually.
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Why is my data different when comparing financial reports to daily report for the same date range?
With the daily reports we're tracking real calendar days, so you end up choosing a real calendar month when you choose an entire month. For example, April 1st to April 30th includes all of those days. In the financial reports we're using a fiscal calendar that matches Apple's fiscal calendar, so this may cut off the first few days, or the last few days of a month. The fiscal calendar’s pattern is simple and follows several basic rules: Every month starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. Q1 starts at the end of September Every quarter starts with a 5-week month, followed by two 4-weeks months
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Why is Syncing Taking a Long Time?
Appfigures syncs all of your connected accounts in the background, so you don't have to worry about keeping your reports up to date. In addition however, we also offer the ability to sync your data on-demand. The time it takes to sync an account depends on the type of account being synced, the number of apps in the account, and in some cases number of transactions. In most cases syncs take just a couple of minutes, but they could take longer. Syncs can take much longer when the source is under heavy load. For example, App Store Connect gets very busy in the morning time (New York time), a little after reports become available for the previous day. Around that time on-demand syncs are expected to take more time. Accounts with a lot of apps or transactions can also take a longer time. Some data sources require syncing data for each app, and sometimes each transaction, so getting the could take longer. This can be further amplified by the store being overloaded. In cases when we detect slower-than-average syncing we'll automatically continue to run your on-demand sync int he background for you so your reports will always be up to date.
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Why is my email report late, or missing data?
If your Appfigures account is linked to only one external account then your email report is pretty straightforward. As soon as we see that data has been published, we will import it into your account and send you the accompanying email report. If, however, your Appfigures account is linked to more than one external account, then you’ll likely receive your email report at a less predictable time each day. This inconsistency occurs when external accounts release their data at different times. Once we’ve successfully synched the first data available we will wait a few more hours to see if we can grab the rest of your data. If we can get all of the data, then we will send out the complete email report. If, after waiting a few hours we still haven’t collected the other data, then we will send out your email report with whatever data we do have. For this reason, if you have several linked accounts and want to receive your email reports ASAP, we suggest that you create several email reports—one for each external account. By setting yourself up with multiple email reports you’ll ensure that you will get your data as soon as it becomes available!
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Why is my actual profit varying from that stated on my financial reports?
We calculate profits directly from the daily and weekly reports provided by iTunes Connect. Apple states that daily and weekly reports—a summation of download data, not sales data—should not be used for financial purposes, and we concur. We urge you to look at your financial numbers. Read more about payment report discrepancies on this blog post.
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Why is my daily data different than my financial data?
Daily reports record downloads as they occur in real time. Financial reports record credit card transactions only after these transactions have been cleared by the bank. This time delay creates a discrepancy in the two reports. Downloads at the end of a fiscal month will be reported in the daily report, but may not be included in the financial report. If a month’s last downloads don’t make the deadline for one financial report, then they’re pushed into the following month’s report. Two things complicate the issue: Apple’s calendar and currency conversions. Apple’s unique fiscal calendar is generally not intuitive, or predictable. Additionally, we’ve found that Apple effectively rounds numbers when converting various currencies into your chosen currency. This rounding can create inconsistencies in profits. More on this subject. Even more.
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Showing a login from a computer in NYC. Why is that?
This is perfectly normal if the IP address associated with the login is 204.145.71.20. We use a sophisticated automated data importing system to bring in reports from your Google Play Developer Console. Because Google does not offer a direct API for all of the data we need to fully automate the process, we've built our own process to do that. This process emulates a browser to sync reports securely and automatically without ever exposing your credentials. This process is completely automated, secure, and is only used to sync data reports from your Google Developer Console. No other areas of your Google account (like your Gmail account) are ever accessed. Even though this is a perfectly normal and secure process, in some cases it triggers Google's anti-fraud measures when syncing for the first time, particularly for Google accounts based outside of New York and the United States. This should only happen once. As we continue to sync your account Google learns and will not alert you again.
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How to Compare Your Downloads and Revenue with Estimates in Competitor Intelligence
When getting started with Competitor Intelligence, it’s good to get your bearing and understand how estimates in your specific corner of the app market match to actual downloads and revenue. Appfigures uses sophisticated models and millions of data points of training, to estimate how many downloads iOS and Android apps get all around the world. We do that while maintaining a strict privacy policy where private data (that's what you see in your own reports) is only ever used to help calibrate our estimation models and is never used for anything else. Our models are calibrated to produce estimates with a very low error rate, but as with all estimates, they fluctuate based on various things—from the day of the week to how popular the app is. We measure error rates using the industry-standard MAPE, or Median Absolute Percent Error, and have an error rate between 5% (best case) and 25% (worst case). Such low error rates mean that our estimates will get very close to real-world numbers, close enough to answer important questions to help you grow your downloads. And with our privacy-first approach, will never compromise your private data in the process. If they don’t, beyond the 5% - 25% error range, there are a few other things to keep in mind when comparing: Estimates don’t cover all countries. In some cases, we can't provide an accurate estimate for an app in a specific country. This can happen because the app isn't popular enough in the country, our estimation models aren't able to meet the low error rate threshold we have set, or because we don't cover the country altogether. We're actively improving our estimation models and extending their reach, so they can cover more apps in every country and also so they span more countries, while providing accurate data you can rely on. When comparing your actual downloads and revenue, it's best to compare them at the country level. This way, you can see how estimates across different countries match, instead of comparing totals. ? Check out the full list of countries we currently support. Estimates don’t cover the full date range. Our estimation models see apps that have some downloads, where some depends on the country and category the app is in. It could be as low as one download, or as high as 100. When an app doesn't reach that threshold, it won't have an estimate for the day in that country. We're working hard to have our estimation models count every download, but it's always recommended that you look at the trend in countries where your numbers are too far off and look for gaps. Downloads for paid apps aren’t estimated. If your app is a paid app, at this time, we won't have an estimate for it. We've spent a lot of time calibrating our estimation models for free apps and apps with in-app purchases so that we can get very accurate estimates. Very soon, we'll be doing the same for paid apps. Revenue estimates don't include the store's fee. Revenue estimates are after Apple's and Google 30% (or 15% for subscriptions) fee, so they aren't what the customer spent but rather what the developer earned. We do this on purpose so you can compare your revenue to competitors and don't have to think about gross revenue and the store's fee. For Apple: Estimates are for iPhone downloads only. For iOS apps, our estimation models are currently estimating downloads on iPhones and not on iPads. This means that apps that are available for the iPad will show less estimated downloads. It also means iPadOS apps will not have estimates. We're working on training our estimation models to handle iPad downloads and will be bringing those into the Competitors report soon + show a breakdown by device. This is not the case for Android apps, where our estimates include both handheld devices and tablets. We'd love to hear how your data aligns with the estimates, and if there are specific countries you'd like to see us cover, so please Get in touch.
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Why is my App Store Connect Account "Not fully set up"?
When you link an App Store Connect account we first log in to verify that it's working and has the necessary permissions for us to import reports with. In some cases we run into accounts, usually sub-user accounts that were set up recently, that Apple hasn't finished setting up yet. While rare, Apple may take up to 24 hours to make a new sub-user account accessible. If that's the case for you there's nothing to worry about. After the account is linked we'll keep an eye on it until it's ready for us to import data from and automatically start importing data. This may take up to 24 - 48 hours. If your linked account has been in this state for more than 48 hours please contact us
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Why haven't I received my email report yet today?
When it comes to timing, email reports are at the mercy of the data sources. When stores are slow to roll out their updated figures we're forced to wait, not always patiently, for the data. Check out the Report Status page for Apple and Google for information on release times.
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Whitelisting Appfigures with Google Play
Some G Suite organizational security policies limit the access that external services have to Google Play data. If this is blocking you from connecting you Google Play account follow the instructions below to whitelist our Google Play integration: 1. Go to the G Suite Trusted App Panel. If you don’t have access to this and are a G Suite organizational user, you might need to ask a G Suite administrator to follow these steps. 2. Click the "Whitelist An App" button in the lower-right of the page. 3. Fill in the following, depending on the type of account you're linking: Google Play App Type: Web Application OAuth2 Client ID: 869353560953-je50mmrqeingsifcu7p2p7uhi9950a27.apps.googleusercontent.com Google Ads (Adwords) App Type: Web Application OAuth2 Client ID: 479447131459-hnjjj8u0scng07q6u2imjnlmaq5gskas.apps.googleusercontent.com 4. Submit, and we should now be able to sync your Google Play account.
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Why aren't updates available in the financial reports?
Financial reports provided by iTunes Connect only include data that is pertinent to calculating revenue. As a result, these reports do not contain any information on the number of times an app was updated. If you'd like to know how many times an app was updated check out the daily or weekly datasets.
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Why can't I view financial reports for my iOS/Mac apps?
The most common cause for missing financial reports is an incorrect role for the linked iTunes Connect user. In iTunes Connect, the Sales and Reports role provides access to daily and weekly reports. The Finance role provides access to financial and payment reports.
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Why can't I view data for dates prior to 11/27/2011?
Google Play does not provide download data for any apps prior to 11/27/11. It does, however, provide a total that we use as the "All Time" total.
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Why do Net Downloads and All Net Downloads Differ?
When selecting a date range that goes back to an app's release, it is expected that the in-period and total amount would be the same, but for iOS and Mac apps they may not. This is a result of how Apple provides data. The short answer - the All Net Download sum is the most accurate number. The long(er) answer: Apple reports downloads and revenue in several granularities. For each, they have a different retention policy. This retention policy means that every granularity is limited in the number of periods we can import data for when an account is linked for the first time. This is particularly problematic with daily reports for apps that joined Appfigures after being released, as we calculate the in-period total using the selected granularity. The retention policy for daily reports started as 7 days in 2008, and was gradually increased over the years to 365. That means that if your app has been live for more than a year before you started tracking it with Appfigures, the in-period number won't be complete. For the all-time total, we combine all available granularities intelligently to produce an accurate total, which is the true number you should be using.
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Comparing Appfigures to the Google Developer Console
Appfigures imports data directly from your Google Play developer console, so your downloads and revenue numbers are accurate. For importing purposes, we use the exportable reports through Download reports > Statistics > By Country/Region. To compare data between Appfigures and Google, Google's dashboard allows for an easy look without having to export the reports. Each metric from Google is pulled from a similar but slightly different route, outlined below. Downloads In Appfigures, downloads are pulled from Google Play's New Users metric. In Google Play, this metrics is found by going to: New User Acquisitions > Users > User Acquisitions > New Users. Downloads in the Google Play Developer Console Updates In Appfigures, updates are pulled from Google Play's Device Updates metric. In Google Play, this metric is found by going to: New User Acquisitions > Devices > Device Updates > All Devices. Updates in the Google Play Developer Console Redownloads In Appfigures, redownloads are pulled from Google Play's Returning Users metric. In Google Play, this metrics is found by going to: New User Acquisitions > Users > User Acquisition > Returning Users. Redownloads in the Google Play Developer Console Uninstalls In Appfigures, uninstalls are pulled from Google Play's User Loss metric. In Google Play, this metrics is found by going to: All Devices Lost > User Loss > All Users. Uninstalls in the Google Play Developer Console Note: Google's exportable reports are known to differ slightly from their own dashboard. The above routes will be the best route to follow when comparing between the two dashboards from Appfigures to Google.
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Some Apps are Ignored When Filtering by Device
The Sales (and soon the Revenue) report support filtering by device. Right now, the filter supports Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Support for the Apple Watch is coming soon. Because the filter is only for Apple devices, when your report includes Apple and non-Apple apps, and the device filter is set to anything other than All, data for non-Apple apps will be omitted and only data for Apple apps will be included in the report.