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ISSUE 40: THE WWDC 2022 EDITION  JUNE 12TH 2022


COMMENT

WWDC 2022 is over, and despite the hyperbolic 'data auction' ad campaign Apple
has been running basically everywhere for the last month, only one
privacy-related topic even made this year's keynote: a minor (though excellent
and much-needed) new permissions audit feature called Safety Check.

Here's the full scorecard:

 * Major privacy announcements: nope.
 * SKAdNetwork 4.0: yes!
 * Clarification on ATT policy: kind of…

What does this mean? Well, we'll get into the details below, but I'm quite
certain nobody here looks forward to these annual, WWDC-induced bouts of
existential crisis. So a relatively quiet week means mixed emotions:

 * Relief. 'Yay, no need to re-write our roadmap this year!'
 * Disorientation. 'Wait, are we SURE we didn't miss anything…?'

At the same time, don't assume this is the end of the story, or any sort of
tacit agreement to preserve the status quo. Apple may be taking a break from
privacy-related high drama this year, but that certainly doesn't mean they're
walking away from the topic.

This moment is more like the calm in the eye of the hurricane. It's the time to
double down on investing for the future of your mobile growth strategy…not a
signal to turn around and start swimming against the tide.

PS: this issue of the newsletter is on the longer side. If your email client
clips the end, just click here to read on the web!

Alex Bauer


SPOTLIGHT

While WWDC 2022 was relatively non-disruptive for mobile growth, there's still
plenty of news to cover.

If you want a full run-down with commentary, including everything we know about
SKAdNetwork 4.0 and Apple's newly re-emphasized App Tracking Transparency
guidance, I have two options for you:

 * Watch this webinar our team at Branch hosted on Friday. It's a recap of
   everything you need to know, designed for quick consumption.
 * Tune in for the next Mobile Dev Memo podcast episode, which will be out on
   Monday (watch for it in the Spotify or Apple Podcasts feeds). Eric Seufert
   and I went waaaay into the weeds on how everything works, and what it likely
   means for the future of the ecosystem.

If you prefer to get your updates directly from the source, here are the two
most relevant tech sessions from WWDC:

 * What's new with SKAdNetwork. All the new stuff in SKAdNetwork 4.0. While the
   official tech documentation has not yet been published, there's also a
   written summary from Apple of the new functionality here.
 * Explore App Tracking Transparency. Apple's re-statement of the ATT policy,
   their opinion on 'separate-but-equal' attribution systems (not OK), and
   fingerprinting ('never allowed').

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WWDC DAY 3: SKADNETWORK V4.0 DETAILS ARE HERE!

For a written technical breakdown of SKAdNetwork 4.0, the best I've seen so far
is from the team at Singular. It covers all the main new pieces:

 * Hierarchical Campaign (Source) IDs
 * Hierarchical Conversion Values
 * Coarse Grained Conversion Values
 * Multiple Conversions (Postbacks)
 * Support for Decreasing Conversion Values
 * Mobile Web to App Support
 * SKAdNetwork Testability Updates

My top-level takeaway is that SKAdNetwork 4.0 brings more data signal, in more
situations, while also reducing the complexity of the system (previous versions
of SKAN were somewhat over-engineered).

It's still not perfect, and there is plenty left for SKAN 5.0, but this is a big
step forward.

singular.net

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"AFTER POKING AROUND SKADNETWORK 4.0, I’M READY TO CALL IT ON ATT AND
SKADNETWORK. COLLECTIVELY THEY ARE A TRILLION DOLLAR BLUNDER BY APPLE
EXECUTIVES…"

SKAdNetwork 4.0 is a major improvement, and should finally make SKAN a lot less
painful for most apps.

…but the sad part is that all of this COULD have been version 1.0, if Apple had
just talked to a few people before getting started.

This is a somewhat provocative Twitter thread, and worth reading.

twitter.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


APPLE TO AD TECH: "FINGERPRINTING IS NEVER ALLOWED"

Apple's tech session on ATT re-emphasizes the letter of the law on
fingerprinting. It mostly uses the same words that have been out there for the
last two years, but I agree with this article: there are some additional nuances
this time.

 * 'Tracking' is not just about IDFA. ATT applies to all forms of advertising
   tracking, and it's not just IDFA gating (IDFA is only mentioned once in the
   whole session). This was always clear in the policy, but the way Apple
   describes it this year seems to have subtly shifted.
 * No separate-but-equal systems to SKAN. Apple specifically rules out
   workarounds based on processing user-level data but only outputting
   aggregated reports. In other words, you can't create 'separate-but-equal'
   systems to SKAN that work without user opt-in.
 * Fingerprinting is never OK. Fingerprinting is addressed head-on: Apple says
   it's never allowed. While there are no explicit statements about upcoming
   enforcement plans, it's not hard to see this as a final warning.

Ultimately, while this further elimination of ambiguity is certainly welcome, I
fear it still comes without sufficient specificity to force behavior change
unless Apple also starts setting enforcement precedent.

mobiledevmemo.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


APPLE JUST WRECKED 15+ STARTUPS IN LESS THAN 1 HOUR

According to Mark Twain, there is no such thing as a new idea. That applies to
the iOS/macOS ecosystem too.

Apple has created flexible, accessible platforms on which developers are able to
build pretty much anything they can imagine (yes, I recognize the question of
whether those things can survive as sustainable businesses is a different
issue). This means it's basically inevitable that when Apple themselves wants to
build something new, someone else will have already given it a try.

The reality of 'getting Sherlocked' is almost as old as WWDC itself, and this
year is no different. It is often devastating to the developer in question, but
not always — for an example of a classy response, check out this tweet from the
founder of Camo, a third-party app that makes it possible to use your iPhone as
a webcam through your computer…pretty much exactly what Apple introduced this
week with Continuity Camera.

medium.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


WWDC 2022: 10 MAIN UPDATES THAT CAN INFLUENCE YOUR APP’S SUCCESS

Finally, to wrap up the WWDC recap section, here's a nice write-up of some other
interesting iOS 16 updates that could be interesting for mobile growth.

asodesk.com


INTERESTING READS


WWDC 2022, A TANGIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF CARE

What is it like to attend WWDC in person? By all accounts (including this one),
it's an amazing, awe-inspiring experience.

If you're reading this newsletter, you may be used to thinking of Apple as a
vaguely antagonistic elephant in a world full of mice. With things like the
ongoing controversy about App Store commission rates and all the disruption
caused by the IDFA Apocalypse over the last two years, a glowing endorsement
like this one might seem like cognitive dissonance.

I don't think these are actually at odds. I believe Apple genuinely does care
about indie developers. The small, independent dev teams building niche apps
that might even be uniquely possible only on iOS, ideally monetizing via in-app
purchases or subscriptions. They're the ones who make sense to Apple, who fit
into Apple's worldview and use the iOS ecosystem the way Apple wants it to be
used (the article above about 'getting Sherlocked' notwithstanding), and who
often feel something like Apple's 30% commission rate is a pretty good deal.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the line — as companies get larger and their iOS
apps become a part of the end user relationship instead of the entire thing —
that care starts to gets smothered by ideology and other business
considerations.

david-smith.org


INDUSTRY BUZZ


APPLE’S KIND OF A BANK NOW

The biggest Sherlocking of WWDC this year is certainly this one: Apple is
getting into the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space.

Apple has a dizzying array of financial products now (Apple Pay, Apple Cash,
Apple Wallet, Apple Pay Later, Apple Card… it's starting to look like the Mac
product line before Steve Jobs rejoined the company), so this further
diversification was probably inevitable.

Also, if you're wondering how a BNPL offering fits into Apple's a position of
products 'designed to support your financial health', then I recommend this
podcast from Planet Money. TL;DR: it is complicated space.

theverge.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


APPSFLYER RELEASES ITS DATA CLEAN ROOM

If this seems like déjà vu, you're not wrong: AppsFlyer's data clean room has
been in beta for months already.

More curious to me was the timing of this launch: AppsFlyer announced it live on
stage at MAU (Mobile Apps Unlocked) on Tuesday morning. That seems like an
extremely gutsy move, considering this was WWDC week and no one could have known
what Apple might do the day before.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out, because it's still far from clear
that data clean rooms will be a sustainable solution in a post-ATT, post-GDPR
landscape. As this explainer from Morning Brew put it last fall:

> “A clean room is not a washing machine, you cannot throw your data in there,
> throw a tide pod in, and think that it’s okay to use. I would say to people:
> Be very cautious about being told that a clean room is going to solve all your
> problems.”

businesswire.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NEW IOS 16 DEVELOPER MODE MAY BE PREVIEW OF THIRD-PARTY APP STORE TOGGLE

Is Apple laying the groundwork for third-part app stores? Who knows, but this
isn't entirely new or without precedent — a very similar mechanic already
existed for apps distributed outside of the store via the Enterprise Program.

Given all the feet-dragging Apple has done with other changes (even those
mandated by law), I have trouble imaging them giving even an inch on this
voluntarily. I think it's much more likely that the new Developer mode is a
positioning play, to proactively introduce additional friction into the non-App
Store install process. That gives them something additional to use as a lever
later if they must.

Side note: the comments at the bottom of this article are amazing. If you want a
peek inside the echo chamber of what happens when consumers fall hook, line, and
sinker for some of the more extreme privacy sensationalism floating around, give
these a read.

appleinsider.com


TIPS & TECHNIQUES


A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO APPLE SEARCH ADS

Deep insights from one of the leading Apple Search Ads practitioners. Even if
you run ASA campaigns regularly, I guarantee there are tips in here you didn't
even know you didn't know.

revenuecat.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I ONLY CARE ABOUT THE HELPFUL NOTIFICATIONS, NOT THE PROMOTIONAL ONES

Reminder: be thoughtful about your push notification strategy, especially mixing
marketing and transactional streams. Sometimes there's a good reason to do this,
but users will often take the nuclear option if they can't find a way to control
it.

alexanderell.is


UX


WHY AIRLINES HAVE A 91% CHURN

Have you ever tried booking a flight on a mobile website? Most likely not,
probably because you've instinctively reached the same conclusion as this
article: it is…not particularly easy.

The observations here are obviously and objectively valid, which means there are
two important takeaways:

 1. This is proof of why mobile apps are better than mobile web.
 2. This is also why it's so important to make sure end users know #1.

What can you do about this? Make sure users have an easy way to 'upgrade' their
experience.

builtformars.com


DATA


APP MARKETING BENCHMARKS FOR IOS & ANDROID

Benchmarks like these are hard to generate and get right. Normalization and data
QA is a pain, every app is doing something unique, and there are way more edge
cases than you ever imagine going in.

That's almost certainly why not every metric is available for every breakdown in
this report, but it's still very well done and cleanly presented. Definitely
worth a look!

appsflyer.com


THE ENCORE


STARSTRUCK SEEING OUR APP CLIP FEATURED AT #WWDC22!

I used this exact restaurant payment App Clip last night, and yes: it really is
magical.

linkedin.com


PODCAST


VP OF GROWTH AT BLUE APRON: KAR PARAMASIVAM

Leading Growth in the Meal Subscription Business

Blue Apron is a direct-to-consumer, chef-designed meal kit company. Kar shares
some successful campaigns and approaches his team adopted to leverage Blue
Apron's app and increase user retention and engagement.

howigrewthis.com


EVENTS


MOBILE GROWTH ONLINE

When: Wed, Jun 22, 12:00 PM (PDT).
Panelists: Zedge.

mobilegrowth.org


WHO’S HIRING?

Do you have a mobile growth role you’d like to share with the community?
Just fill out this form — it’s free!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * Canva | Lifecycle Engagement Lead — San Francisco, CA | Sydney, Australia
 * Care.com | Senior Software Engineer - Front End — Remote
 * Care.com | Senior Software Engineer — Remote

 * Previous Issue May 7th 2022
 * 40 of 40

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