Short answer: a mobile measurement partner (MMP) is an independent service that works out which ad, link or channel brought each install of your app. It sits between your app and every place you advertise, gives each install to exactly one source, and sends the results back to the ad networks so they can optimise. On Android, a good MMP does most of this with a signal the Play Store itself provides.
What does an MMP actually do?
Four jobs, roughly in this order:
- Records the clicks. Every tracked link or ad click is logged with its time, channel and campaign.
- Matches installs to clicks. When someone installs and opens your app, the MMP's SDK reports the install, and the MMP looks for the click that caused it.
- Counts each install once. If Meta, Google and a WhatsApp campaign all touched the same person, the MMP still credits one source, so your totals add up.
- Reports back. It sends installs and in-app events, such as sign-ups and purchases, to each ad network, so their bidding learns from real results instead of guesses.
Most MMPs add fraud checks, deep links and revenue reporting on top, because they already see every click and install.
How does attribution work on Android?
An MMP tries the strongest evidence first and falls back to weaker evidence only when it has to. On Android the usual order is:
| Signal | What it is | How strong |
|---|---|---|
| Play Install Referrer | The Play Store hands the app the tracking parameter from the link the person used | Strongest: it comes from the store itself |
| Click ID | An identifier carried from the click into the app, for example through a deep link | Strong |
| Advertising ID | The device's resettable ad identifier, matched against clicks that recorded it | Good, when the user has not limited ad tracking |
| Fingerprint | A probabilistic match on device and network traits | Weakest: a best guess |
If nothing matches, the install is organic: it came without a tracked click. Our guide to the Google Play Install Referrer goes deeper on the first row.
Do I need an MMP?
You probably do if any of these are true:
- You pay for installs on more than one network. Each network reports the installs it thinks it drove, and their totals overlap. Only an independent count adds up. Our guide to why ad networks report more installs than your MMP explains the gap.
- You want networks to optimise for sign-ups or purchases, not just installs. That needs events sent back to them.
- You share links where there is no ad dashboard at all: WhatsApp messages, QR codes on posters, SMS, creators. See how to attribute installs from WhatsApp, QR codes, SMS and USSD.
- You worry about fake installs eating your budget.
You probably do not need one yet if you run no campaigns, or a single network whose own reporting you trust for now. Many teams start when they add a second paid channel.
What should I ask before choosing one?
- Can it show why each install was credited? A source name is not an explanation. Ask to see the evidence for one install: the signal that matched, how sure the match is, and which other clicks lost.
- Which Android signals does it read? The Play Install Referrer at minimum, and Meta's encrypted install referrer if you run Meta ads.
- Is fraud reporting included, or a paid extra? And does it block installs automatically, or tag them for you to decide?
- How is it priced, and are the prices published? Per install, per event or per plan, and what happens when you go over.
- Does it cover your channels? Paid networks, but also the links your users actually share.
- What does the SDK cost your app? Size, battery, data use, and what it does when the phone is offline.
- Can you get your data out? Exports and an API, without a sales call.
Well-known MMPs include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Singular and Kochava. They differ in price, in the platforms they cover and in how much of their reasoning they show you.
Where does Measura fit?
Measura is an MMP for Android apps that shows its working. Every install is stored with a confidence score from 0 to 100, the signal that matched, the clicks that lost and a sentence saying why it won, on every plan. The fraud report and deep links are on every plan too, Free included, and prices are published in US dollars on the pricing page. The whole scoring formula is public in the methodology.
Questions people ask
Is an MMP the same as an analytics tool?
No. Analytics tools such as Firebase or Mixpanel tell you what people do inside your app. An MMP tells you where those people came from, and reports that back to your ad networks. Many apps use both.
Is an MMP the same as an attribution tool?
Mostly, yes. "MMP" is the industry's name for an independent attribution service that ad networks integrate with.
Does an MMP need the advertising ID on Android?
No. The Play Install Referrer and click IDs work without it. The advertising ID helps when those are missing, and only when the user has not limited ad tracking.