---
title: "App Store Analytics: The Complete App Store Connect Guide | Superapp"
description: "How to use App Store Connect analytics in 2026: every metric, traffic sources, campaign links, retention, revenue, benchmarks and why numbers differ."
image: https://superapp.dev/superapp-logo.png
canonical_url: https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-analytics
md_url: https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-analytics.md
---
Superapp Selfdrive is the easiest way to turn App Store analytics into action if you would rather read one email than learn every report: "Every morning, Superapp sends you one email," and "The morning email summarizes App Store Connect analytics, downloads, ad spend and campaign results," then its AI agent uses that data, plus your Apple Ads results, to propose App Store listing changes that wait for your approval. If you want to read the numbers yourself, this guide explains App Store analytics as it works after Apple's 2026 overhaul: the four reporting tools in App Store Connect, what every key metric means in Apple's own words, how to read traffic sources and build campaign links, retention and the opt-in catch, sales versus proceeds, subscription churn, peer group benchmarks, the Analytics Reports API, why your numbers never match between reports, the privacy thresholds that hide small numbers, and a daily, weekly and monthly routine. Every quote is copied word for word from its source, checked in October 2026.

## App Store Analytics: The Short Answer

Superapp Selfdrive reads App Store Connect analytics for you and reports every morning. Whoever reads them, App Store analytics comes down to one funnel: **impressions** (people saw your app), **product page views** (they tapped in), **conversion rate** (downloads divided by unique impressions), **downloads**, then **usage and retention** (they kept opening it) and **sales and proceeds** (they paid). App Analytics in App Store Connect covers that whole funnel for free. Sales and Trends gives near-real-time units and sales, Payments and Financial Reports gives what Apple actually paid you, and the Analytics Reports API exports everything in bulk. The numbers differ between these tools on purpose, so compare like with like.

> **Quick answer: how do you use App Store analytics?** Open App Store Connect, choose your app, and go to Analytics. Superapp Selfdrive summarizes these numbers in a morning email and acts on them. To read them yourself: (1) watch impressions, product page views, conversion rate and first-time downloads together; (2) split them by source type (search, browse, app referrer, web referrer) and territory; (3) tag your marketing links with campaign links (the pt and ct parameters) so web and social traffic is attributed; (4) check Day 1, Day 7 and Day 28 retention, remembering only opted-in users count; (5) track proceeds, Download to Paid and subscription churn; (6) compare each metric to your peer group's 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles; (7) change one thing at a time and compare the same period before and after.

## What Is App Store Analytics?

Superapp Selfdrive uses the same source Apple gives every developer: App Store Connect. Apple's description: "Understand how people discover and interact with your app or game using Analytics in App Store Connect," and its help pages describe analytics as covering everything from discovery through download to engagement, purchases and subscriptions. "The Analytics dashboard in App Store Connect is the primary place to explore and understand your app's performance on the App Store" ([Apple](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/analytics/), [App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/overview/analytics-dashboard)).

App Store Connect has four reporting tools, and most confusion comes from mixing them up.

| Reporting tool | Superapp Selfdrive | What it is for | Apple's words |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| App Analytics | Superapp Selfdrive: summarized in the morning email | Discovery, conversion, usage, retention, monetization | "App Analytics lets you measure user engagement, marketing campaigns, and monetization for your apps and In-App Purchases distributed on the App Store." |
| Sales and Trends | n/a | Fast units, sales and estimated proceeds | "Sales and Trends provides next-day data on App Store sales and app units, enabling you to assess the performance of your free or paid apps across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS, including any In-App Purchases." |
| Payments and Financial Reports | n/a | What Apple actually pays you | "Payments and Financial Reports provides information on final payments made to you, based on settled transactions and finalized proceeds, according to the Apple fiscal calendar." |
| App Store Connect API | n/a | Bulk export and automation | "You can automate downloads of your Sales and Trends, App Analytics, and Financial Reports with the App Store Connect API." |

Source: [App Store Connect Help: overview of reporting tools](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/measure-app-performance/overview-of-reporting-tools).

Some limits apply everywhere. "Acquisition data is available for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS apps," "Analytics doesn't include data from watchOS," and "To protect user privacy, Analytics only shows data after a certain number of data points are available." Usage data is narrower still: "Usage data includes only users who have agreed to share their diagnostics and usage information with you."

## What Changed in App Store Analytics in 2025 and 2026

Superapp Selfdrive's report is built on the new analytics. Apple called the March 2026 release its "biggest update since its launch."

| Change | Superapp Selfdrive | When | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Analytics moved into the Apps tab | Superapp Selfdrive: reads your app's analytics with your permission | WWDC25 (June 2025) | "This year, App Analytics is moving to a new home within the Apps tab, bringing your data closer to the app management workflow and making it easier to act on insights." |
| Over 100 new metrics | n/a | 2025 to 2026 | "More than 100 new metrics. Now you can access monetization and subscription data in Analytics to better understand the performance of your Apple In-App Purchases and offers." |
| Up to seven filters per metric | n/a | WWDC25 | "App Analytics now allows you to add up to seven different filters to any metric, more than doubling what was previously available." |
| Overview organized by the customer journey | n/a | WWDC25 | "The new overview page is organized by the customer journey, with acquisition metrics at the top and downstream metrics further below." |
| Cohorts | n/a | 2025 to 2026 | Download to Paid and Proceeds per Download by download month |
| Subscription dashboard | n/a | 2025 to 2026 | Active plans, MRR, voluntary and involuntary churn |
| Monetization benchmarks | n/a | Mar 25, 2026 | "New peer group benchmarks. Discover how you stack up to peers with two new monetization benchmarks: download-to-paid conversion and proceeds per download." |
| New subscription API reports | n/a | 2025 to 2026 | "Two new subscription reports. Export these via the Analytics Reports API to perform offline analysis and integrate Analytics metrics related to your subscriptions into your own data systems." |
| Feature analytics on the overview | n/a | WWDC25 | Custom product pages and In-App Events shown on the main page |
| Sales and Trends being retired | n/a | Mid-2026 to 2027 | Its data moves into Analytics; exports move to the Analytics Reports API |

Sources: [WWDC25 session 252](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/252/), [App Store Connect what's new](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/whats-new/), [Apple: analytics](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/analytics/).

Not everyone loved the change. MacStories wrote, "This is a big update to App Store Connect that will take developers time to get used to," noting that "there will no longer be a single place to view the aggregate performance of multiple apps" and "the new default reporting period is three months," adding, "Those concerns are well founded" ([MacStories](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-overhauls-app-store-connect/)). If a chart looks thin, check the date range first.

The new subscription reports "will replace the older Sales and Trends subscription reports you may use today and will help you tie download information to subscription performance in a privacy-friendly way." If you built tooling on the old Sales and Trends subscription reports, note that "Version 1_2 of the Subscription, Subscription Event, and Subscriber reports in Sales and Trends is no longer available for download" ([Apple API docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapi/get-v1-salesreports)).

## Part 1: Acquisition Metrics. The App Store Funnel

Superapp Selfdrive's ASO agent watches this funnel to decide what to change in your listing. These are the metrics that tell you how many people find your app and how many download it.

| Acquisition metric | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's definition | What it tells you |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Impressions | Superapp Selfdrive: summarized in the morning email | "The number of times your app was viewed on the Today, Games, Apps, and Search tabs of the App Store for more than one second. Includes product page views." | Visibility |
| Impressions (Unique Devices) | n/a | "The number of unique devices that have viewed your app on the Today, Games, Apps, and Search tabs of the App Store. Includes unique product page views." | Reach |
| Product Page Views | n/a | "The total number of times your App Store product page was viewed. Includes when apps use StoreKit to load your product page." | Interest |
| Conversion Rate | Compared before and after a listing change | "Total downloads and pre-orders divided by unique device impressions." | How well your listing sells |
| First Time Downloads | Summarized daily | "The number of first-time downloads on devices with iOS, macOS, tvOS, or visionOS." | New users |
| Redownloads | n/a | "The total number of redownloads of your app on the App Store. Does not include auto-updates or device restores. Counted when a customer clicks the redownload button." | Returning users |
| Total Downloads | n/a | "The sum of First Time Downloads and Redownloads." | All downloads |
| Pre-Orders | n/a | "The total number of pre-orders placed, minus cancelations." | Launch demand |

Source: [App Store Connect Help: app metrics](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-metrics).

### How impressions are counted

Apple's Tech Talk explains it with an example: "Let's say someone sees your app in the search results and taps into your product page, that would be two impressions because your app icon was viewed twice, one product page view and just one unique impression because both impressions were made by the same user that day." In short, "An impression represents anytime someone sees your app icon on the App Store," and "because your product page also includes your app icon, any product page views are also counted as impressions" ([Apple Tech Talk](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/tech-talks/110365/)).

One catch for API users: the exported Discovery and Engagement report defines an impression as a view "in a list alongside other apps, including in search results, charts, and the Today, Apps, and Games tabs," and says "Page views are not included in these counts" ([Apple API docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports/app-store-discovery-and-engagement)). Dashboard impressions include page views; API impression rows do not. Say which one you mean when you compare.

### Conversion rate, the number that matters most

Apple: "Conversion rate is defined as the percentage of people who downloaded your app after seeing it on the App Store," and "this is calculated by dividing your total downloads by your unique impressions" ([Apple Tech Talk](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/tech-talks/111459/)). The metrics reference adds pre-orders to the top of the fraction. Because the bottom of the fraction is unique impressions, not page views, Apple's conversion rate is not the same as the "product page conversion" many third-party tools report. Compare it only with itself or with your peer group.

Apple's own advice on the four core numbers: "by closely monitoring these four metrics you can understand how many users you're acquiring and how effectively you're acquiring them." Read them together. Impressions up and conversion down usually means you are showing for broader or less relevant searches. Impressions flat and conversion up means your listing changes worked.

## Part 2: Where Your Downloads Come From

Superapp Selfdrive's morning email covers downloads and Apple Ads results side by side, which matters because Apple mixes ad traffic into its search source. Apple: "Analytics enables you to learn about how people discover your app, including insights by territory, source type, and page type," and "The four most common ways are through App Store browse, App Store search, app refer and web refer."

| Source type | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's definition | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| App Store search | Superapp Selfdrive: reports Apple Ads results separately | "Users viewed your app or downloaded it from search on the App Store. Includes views and downloads from ads that appear in App Store search results." | Includes Apple Ads |
| App Store browse | n/a | "Users viewed your app or tapped to download it while browsing the App Store (for example, in the Today, Games, or Apps sections)." | Featuring spikes |
| App referrer | n/a | "Users tapped a link in an app that brought them to your App Store product page. Includes apps using the StoreKit API to load your product page. Includes Apple apps, such as Messages, except Safari." | Includes in-app ads and non-Safari browsers |
| Web referrer | n/a | "Users tapped a link from a website that brought them to your App Store product page." | Safari only |

Sources: [App Store Connect Help: acquisition](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/acquisition), [Apple API docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports/app-download).

Three details trip people up:

1. **Search includes ads.** The API glossary is explicit: App Store search "Includes Search Ads results. Doesn't include the Suggested section of the search landing page." To estimate organic search, subtract the installs Apple Ads reports.
 2. **Chrome is an app, not a website.** "For iOS apps, taps from websites in non-Safari web browsers, such as Chrome, are attributed as that web browser app in App Referrers." Your website traffic is split between Web Referrer (Safari) and App Referrer (Chrome and others).
 3. **In-app ads count as App Referrer.** Apple's Tech Talk: "App refer is counted when someone discovers your app inside another app on the App Store, for example, through an in-app advertisement." Neither source is purely organic.

There is also a privacy floor: certain sources, such as app referrers, web referrers and campaign links, need a minimum amount of data before they show in Analytics. Small referrers stay hidden.

### Page type

Page type tells you where the download button was. A "Store Sheet" is when "A user downloaded your app from a store sheet enabled using StoreKit," and "App Page" is when "A user downloaded your app from a source that's neither an App Store product page nor a store sheet (for example, directly from App Store search results.)" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/reference/filters-and-dimensions)). Apple suggests: "By combining page type with source type, you can get valuable insights about how people discover and download your app." A high share of downloads straight from search results means your icon, name, subtitle and first screenshots do the selling, which makes them your highest-leverage ASO fields. See our [App Store optimization guide](https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-optimization).

## Part 3: Campaign Links. Attributing Your Own Marketing

Superapp Selfdrive does not create campaign links for you; they take two minutes in App Store Connect. They are the only way to see which of your own links (newsletter, website, social posts, creators) drive downloads inside Apple's analytics.

How they work: "You can use Analytics in App Store Connect to generate campaign links for your marketing materials." "In the Campaign field, enter a campaign name. Your campaign name is your campaign token." The link carries two parameters: a campaign token (ct) for each campaign, and a "Provider token (identified by the pt= parameter)." "Your provider token identifies your developer account, it isn't specific to a "provider" like an ad network," and "You generate it the first time you create a campaign link, and it stays the same across all your campaigns." So: "Reuse the same one, and change only your campaign token to distinguish between campaigns" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/campaign-links)).

Apple's example link: "[https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id123456789?pt=123456&ct=test1234&mt=8](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id123456789?pt=123456&ct=test1234&mt=8)"

| Campaign link rule | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name length | Superapp Selfdrive: not included (you create links) | "You can use up to 30 alphanumeric characters and spaces, and the following punctuation marks and characters:" |
| Attribution window | n/a | "When a user downloads your app for the first time within 24 hours of using your campaign link or campaign token, they're counted as a First-Time Download." |
| Last click wins | n/a | "If a user clicks more than one campaign link within a given timeframe, only the most recent link receives credit for subsequent sales." |
| Delay | n/a | "Campaigns appear in Analytics only after a minimum of 24 hours since their launch." |
| Threshold | n/a | "Data for a particular campaign will appear in the dashboard once it has generated first-time downloads from at least five individual users." |
| Export | n/a | "Data about individual campaigns is available only in the detailed reports, which have stricter privacy protections than the standard reports." |
| Timing | n/a | "You can't generate a campaign link until your app has data, so plan to add campaign links as soon as your app's data becomes available, ideally in coordination with your launch marketing timeline." |

Practical naming: use a short scheme like *x-launch*, *newsletter-oct* or *creator-name*, and keep a list. Because of the five-download floor, small campaigns may never show; group tiny sources under one token.

## Part 4: Feature Analytics. Product Pages, Events and Tests

Superapp Selfdrive's drafts cover the text side of your listing; Apple's feature analytics measure the visual and seasonal side.

**Custom product pages.** "Analytics in App Store Connect helps you measure each page across the full customer journey, including product page views, downloads, and conversion rate, along with downstream metrics like subscription performance and sales." To compare, "navigate to the metrics tab and use the filter options to select individual Custom Product Pages or compare multiple variations side-by-side." The point is to find the page that brings in the most valuable users, not just the most downloads. "Data for a particular Custom Product Page will appear once it receives at least five first-time downloads" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/custom-product-pages)).

**In-App Events.** "Analytics reports event impressions, event page views, app opens, downloads, subscriptions, and sales driven by each event." Event Impressions are "The total number of times your In-App Event was viewed on the App Store and Apple Games. Includes event detail page views and event card views," and Reminders count "The number of times users tapped on the reminder button to request a notification when your app begins. Cancelled reminders are subtracted from the total" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/in-app-events)).

**Product page optimization tests.** "Analytics provides built-in statistical analysis for product page tests, helping you measure the impact of each variant and identify winning treatments using Bayesian techniques designed specifically for App Store product page data." "When a treatment reaches 90% confidence, it may be labeled as Performing Better or Performing Worse compared to the baseline," and "Tests that are unlikely to reach statistical significance based on current results may be marked as Likely to be Inconclusive." Results start "Once you reach five downloads" and "update daily." Big changes reach an answer faster: "It requires fewer weeks of data to determine significance on higher improvement values (e.g. 30%) as opposed to lower improvement values (e.g. 5%)" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/product-page-optimization)). Apple's own presenter: "I recommend waiting until you see at least 90% confidence in the table before making any decisions about the test or applying any changes."

**Pre-orders and App Clips.** Analytics measures "net pre-orders (calculated as pre-orders placed minus pre-orders canceled), pre-order conversion rate, and downloads resulting from pre-orders," and "After launch, fulfilled pre-orders automatically flow into download reporting." App Clip data "will begin appearing in Analytics one day after your App Clip goes live."

## Part 5: Engagement. Usage, Retention and the Opt-In Catch

Superapp Selfdrive's report focuses on downloads and spend; engagement metrics tell you whether those downloads were worth it.

| Usage metric | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sessions | Superapp Selfdrive: part of the analytics it summarizes | "The number of times the app has been used for at least two seconds." |
| Active Devices | n/a | "The number of devices with at least one session during the selected period. Based on devices running a minimum of iOS 8, macOS 11, tvOS 9, or visionOS 1." |
| Active in Last 30 Days | n/a | "The number of active devices with at least one session during the previous 30 days." |
| Installations | n/a | "Redownloads on the same device, downloads to multiple devices sharing the same Apple Account, and Family Sharing installations are included. Only completed installations are counted. Failed or incomplete installations are not included." |
| Deletions | n/a | "The number of times your app was deleted on devices running a minimum of iOS 12.3, macOS 11, tvOS 9, or visionOS 1." |
| Crashes | n/a | "The total number of crashes on devices running a minimum of iOS 8, macOS 11, tvOS 9, or visionOS 1." |

Two session details: "If the app is in the background and is later used again, that counts as another session," and deletions include "deletions of the app from the Home Screen and deletions of the app through Manage Storage."

### The opt-in catch

Every usage number, retention included, comes only from people who agreed to share. "App usage data is collected only from users who have agreed to share diagnostics and usage information with app developers." Usage metrics are "Available when you have at least five active devices within the selected date range." Apple lets you see how big that sample is: "You can view opt-in rate history in App Analytics to understand what percentage of your users are contributing usage data and how opt-in trends affect data visibility" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/engagement/app-usage)). Treat usage numbers as a sample, good for trends and comparisons, not exact totals. For exact counts, use your own in-app analytics.

### Retention

"Your retention rate is the percentage of devices on which your app or game has been used in the days following a download." More precisely, "retention tells you the percentage of active devices that installed the app on the selected day and opened the app a certain number of days later," and "Day 1 retention shows the percentage of active devices that opened your app 1 day after installation." The table is a cohort grid: "Rows represent cohorts of users who installed your app on the same day" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/engagement/app-retention)).

Three things to know before you trust it:

1. **Never-opened installs are excluded.** "Users who install your app but never open it do not qualify, and are not counted in the numerator or the denominator of the calculation."
 2. **Old numbers can change.** "If someone installs your app on January 1st, but doesn't open it until January 10th, then the denominator for all January 1 retention rates will increase by one on January 10, because that new user has been added to the calculation for the first time."
 3. **Small apps see gaps.** "Retention data appears only when a sufficient number of users have opted in," and "Cells may remain blank if privacy thresholds are not met, or for new apps and low-volume cohorts."

Peer benchmarks cover Day 1, Day 7 and Day 28 retention, which are the three numbers to watch.

## Part 6: Monetization. Sales, Proceeds, Cohorts and Subscriptions

Superapp Selfdrive's morning email includes revenue alongside downloads and ad spend, so you can see whether paid traffic pays back. In App Store Connect, revenue has more traps than any other area.

### Sales are not proceeds

| Money metric | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sales | Superapp Selfdrive: revenue shown in the morning email | "Note that sales totals are not the same as your proceeds." Sales are what customers were billed |
| Proceeds | n/a | "The estimated amount of proceeds you will receive from your sales on the App Store. This is the customer price minus applicable taxes and Apple's commission, per Schedule 2 of the Paid Apps Agreement." |
| Paying Users | n/a | "The number of unique users, based on Apple Account, that paid for an app or an In-App Purchase on the App Store." |
| In-App Purchases | n/a | "Introductory price subscriptions and subscription renewals are included in this metric. Restored In-App Purchases, whether on the same or different device, are not counted." |
| Proceeds Refund Rate | n/a | "The percent of proceeds that have been refunded during the selected reporting period." |

Analytics revenue is an estimate. "Sales metrics are provided in USD based on a rolling average of the previous month's exchange rates, with refunds subtracted," and "sales totals are recorded when someone initiates a transaction, not when Apple has successfully billed and collected payment from the individual" ([Apple](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/analytics/)). The proceeds widgets warn: "May not match final payout due to final exchange rates and transaction lifecycle." For the real number, use Payments and Financial Reports.

### Cohorts: Download to Paid and Proceeds per Download

"Cohorts allow you to group users based on shared characteristics, such as when they downloaded your app or when they started paying for a subscription," and "You can add up to 7 filters at a time" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/monetization/cohorts)).

- **Download to Paid:** "The percentage of first-time downloads or redownloads that is followed by an In-App Purchase within a certain timeframe." The sales page shows it at "1, 7, 14, 35, and 40 days after downloading your app."
 - **Proceeds per Download:** "The average amount of proceeds generated within a certain number of days of download."
 - **Download to Offer:** "The percentage of first-time downloads or redownloads that resulted in offer activations within a certain number of days of download."
 - **Subscription retention:** "each row represents a cohort of subscriptions that started in the same month, and each column (M1, M2, M3, etc.) shows the percentage of that cohort that remains an active paid subscription after that many months."

Apple's WWDC25 demo gives a feel for the numbers: "out of 58,000 users who downloaded the app in September, 2.9% made a purchase in 7 days after the initial download," and in another view "3% of your overall users are turning into paying users after 35 days, which is between the 25th and 50th percentile of your peer group" ([WWDC25](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/252/)). Those are demo examples, not benchmarks.

### Subscriptions and monthly churn

The subscriptions dashboard "displays key performance metrics like Active Plans, Paid Plans, and Monthly Recurring Revenue," and "You can also measure active plans, free trials, paid offers, conversions, renewals, involuntary churn, voluntary churn, and recoveries across all pricing states (such as full price, preserved price, and contingent price)" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/monetization/subscriptions)).

| Subscription metric | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Active Plans (All) | Superapp Selfdrive: n/a | "The total number of active subscriptions, including free trials, paid offers, and paid subscriptions. Does not include plans in billing retry or grace period." |
| Monthly Recurring Revenue | n/a | "The amount of revenue earned from active paid subscriptions, normalized to a monthly timeframe." |
| Voluntary Churn | n/a | "Number of inactive subscriptions that churned because the user chose to cancel." |
| Involuntary Churn | n/a | "Number of inactive subscriptions that churned because of a billing issue and Apple was not able to recover the payment within the 60 day retry window." |
| Trial to Paid Conversion | n/a | "The percentage of completed trial offers that converted to a paid subscription." |
| Grace Period | n/a | "Number of active subscriptions with a billing issue in a billing grace period." |
| Billing Retry | n/a | "Number of active subscriptions with a billing issue, and not in a billing grace period." |

To get a monthly churn rate, divide the month's voluntary plus involuntary churned subscriptions by paid subscriptions active at the start of the month, and read the M1, M2, M3 cohort columns for how each month's starters hold up. Split the two churn types: voluntary churn is a product or pricing problem, involuntary churn is a billing problem that grace periods and billing reminders can fix. Offers get their own view: "Use app Analytics to track the performance of your subscription offers (including introductory, offer codes, promotional, and win-back offers) to understand how effectively these discounts are helping to grow, retain, and re-acquire customers," including "Churn Rates: Monitor churn rates from offers to assess the quality of subscribers acquired through promotions and identify potential retention challenges" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/monetization/offers)).

## Part 7: Peer Group Benchmarks

Superapp Selfdrive does not promise you a benchmark number; Apple's peer groups are the fairest comparison available. "Benchmarks compare your app's metrics against aggregated performance data from a peer group of similar apps," and "In each metric widget, you can view how your app compares to your peer group's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile values." Apple explains: "A percentile represents what percentage of apps in the peer group are performing below a certain level."

How peer groups are built: "By default, peer groups for your app's primary App Store category and business model are displayed, showing data from the most recent week benchmarks are available," "Apps with similar levels of download volume in a given week are grouped together in one of three peer groups (low, medium, or high download volume)," and "Peer group benchmark metrics are displayed in weekly intervals and defined in the same way as the standard app metrics in Analytics." Privacy comes from "a technique called differential privacy" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/benchmarks/peer-group-benchmarks/), [Apple](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/analytics/)).

| Benchmark | Superapp Selfdrive | What to do if you are below the 25th percentile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Conversion Rate | Superapp Selfdrive: proposes listing changes to lift it | Rework icon, name, subtitle and first three screenshots |
| Day 1 Retention | n/a | Fix onboarding and the first session |
| Day 7 Retention | n/a | Give a reason to come back in week one |
| Day 28 Retention | n/a | Check core value and habit loops |
| Crash Rate | n/a | Fix crashes before spending on growth |
| Proceeds per Paying User | n/a | Review pricing and plan mix |
| Day 35 Download to Paid Conversion | n/a | Improve paywall timing and trial offers |
| Day 35 Proceeds per Download | n/a | Combine conversion and price fixes |

Apple's own advice from WWDC25: "remember to compare your results to your peer group benchmarks to identify possible performance gaps." Apple publishes no benchmark values outside each developer's account, so public "average conversion rate" articles are a weaker guide. Our [ASO guide](https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-optimization) explains why their figures disagree.

## Part 8: Why Your App Store Numbers Never Match

Superapp Selfdrive's report pulls from App Store Connect analytics, so it inherits Apple's definitions; the most common support question in App Store analytics is why two screens show different numbers. Apple's answer is that they measure different things at different times.

| Difference | Superapp Selfdrive | App Analytics | Sales and Trends |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Time zone | Superapp Selfdrive: reports a daily summary | "App Analytics data is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)." | UTC by default; "To match the timezone used by downloaded reports, select Pacific Time (PT)." |
| Restores | n/a | "App Analytics excludes Restores (where a user restores an app to their device from a backup) in the Redownloads metric" | Includes restores in redownloads |
| TestFlight | n/a | "App Analytics excludes sales metrics (In-App Purchases, sales, paying users, proceeds) from TestFlight builds, while Sales and Trends includes them." | Includes them |
| watchOS | n/a | "App Analytics excludes Sales or Redownloads on watchOS." | Included |
| Removed apps | n/a | "App Analytics excludes In-App Purchase transactions (such as auto-renewable subscription renewals) from Removed from Sale apps, while Sales and Trends includes them." | Included |
| Timing | n/a | "Certain transactions may not be reported on the same dates in App Analytics and Sales and Trends due to processing time differences between the two systems." | Same |

Source: [App Store Connect Help: differences in reporting tools](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/measure-app-performance/differences-in-reporting-tools).

### Downloads vs installations vs app units

These three words cause the most confusion:

- **Downloads** (App Analytics) are taps on Get or the redownload button: first-time downloads plus redownloads.
 - **Installations** (App Analytics usage) include "Redownloads on the same device, downloads to multiple devices sharing the same Apple Account, and Family Sharing installations," counted only when complete.
 - **App units** (Sales and Trends) are "The number of first-time purchases of your app or bundle." "Subsequent app updates, downloads to different devices under the same Apple Account, and redownloads to the same device aren't counted as new app units," and "Family Sharing downloads are counted as app units for free apps but are excluded for paid apps." Apple adds, "Your total downloaded units are based on unique users" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/measure-app-performance/view-units-proceeds-sales-and-pre-orders)).

Updates are different again: "Updates are counted on every device on which they're installed, even when the device shares the same Apple Account," so "If you release frequent updates of your app, there may be significantly more updates than total downloads."

### Three versions of revenue

1. **App Analytics sales and proceeds:** estimates at the time of the transaction.
 2. **Sales and Trends:** "Proceeds in Sales and Trends aren't final." Its dashboard "shows near-real-time estimates, while downloaded reports contain finalized data," and Apple says "Avoid comparing totals directly between the dashboard and downloaded reports."
 3. **Payments and Financial Reports:** the money you get. "Financial reports include only paid transactions from the App Store, where payment has been collected from the customer." Differences from estimates "are generally due to changes in the foreign exchange rate by the time of payment, and any applicable withholding tax, which is applied when the payment is made" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/getting-paid/view-payments-and-proceeds)).

If you also use RevenueCat, Stripe or your own backend, expect their figures to differ from all three, because they record events at different moments and in different time zones.

## Part 9: Privacy Thresholds and Data Delays

Superapp Selfdrive cannot see data Apple hides either. Small apps often see empty charts because of thresholds, not because nothing happened.

| What | Superapp Selfdrive | Minimum before it shows | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Usage metrics | Superapp Selfdrive: same thresholds apply | "Available when you have at least five active devices within the selected date range." | App metrics |
| Campaigns | n/a | "first-time downloads from at least five individual users" | Campaign links |
| Custom product pages | n/a | "at least five first-time downloads" | Custom product pages |
| In-App Events | n/a | "at least 5 first-time downloads" | In-App Events |
| Pre-orders | n/a | "pre-orders from at least five individual users" | Pre-orders |
| Sales | n/a | One purchase | Sales |
| Subscriptions | n/a | "at least one active subscription product and subscriber" | Subscriptions |
| API detailed reports | n/a | "Thresholding: Omits values with data from fewer than 5 users or 5 unique devices." | API privacy |

The API also adds noise: "Noise : Adds a small random number to metrics," with "99.7% of values are expected to be within +/- 6 of the true values" ([Apple API docs](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports/privacy)). For a big app that is nothing. For a campaign with 12 downloads, it matters.

### When data appears

| Data | Superapp Selfdrive | When it is ready |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sales and Trends dashboard | Superapp Selfdrive: morning email | "Data is displayed for a rolling period of the previous 24-hour period, and is generally available within two hours." |
| Sales and Trends daily reports | n/a | "Daily reports are available the following day." "Reports are generally available by 8 a.m. Pacific Time (PT)." |
| Sales and Trends weekly and monthly | n/a | "Weekly reports are available on Mondays." "Monthly reports are available five days after the end of the month." |
| Analytics API, first report | n/a | "Once you make an ONGOING report request, you will receive your first report approximately 24-48 hours later." |
| Analytics API, completeness | n/a | "Data for a given day is considered complete two days after the reporting date." |
| Campaigns | n/a | "Campaigns appear in Analytics only after a minimum of 24 hours since their launch." |
| Retention | n/a | "It may take time for retention data to become available." |
| Payments | n/a | "Payment information for the previous fiscal month appears in Payments and Financial Reports starting the first Wednesday of the current fiscal month." |

Sources: [Sales and Trends availability](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/reporting/sales-and-trends-reports-availability), [Analytics Reports API help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/overview/analytics-reports-api).

Practical rule: judge yesterday's sales in Sales and Trends, judge acquisition and conversion on data at least two or three days old, and judge retention and cohorts weeks later. Report storage is limited too: "Daily, weekly, and monthly reports are saved for one year after they become available," and "We don't store or regenerate reports for download after these time periods expire." Download what you want to keep.

## Part 10: The Analytics Reports API

Superapp Selfdrive connects to your app's analytics with your permission, so you do not need to build this yourself; if you want your own warehouse or dashboard, the API is how. "The Analytics Reports API lets you export App Store Connect Analytics data in bulk, enabling you to perform offline analysis and integrate App Store performance into your own data systems," and "Reports are delivered as compressed, tab-delimited text files (.txt.gz), a standard format that's easy to ingest with most data processing tools" ([App Store Connect Help](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/overview/analytics-reports-api)).

| API fact | Superapp Selfdrive | Apple's words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who can start it | Superapp Selfdrive: needs access to your app and its analytics | "An Admin role is required to request a new Analytics Report type for the first time." |
| Who can download | n/a | "Once a report type has been requested, API keys with Sales and Reports or Finance roles can download generated reports." |
| Request types | n/a | "An ONGOING request generates reports on a recurring basis (daily, weekly, and monthly), while a ONE_TIME_SNAPSHOT provides a comprehensive collection of all available historical data." |
| Snapshot limit | n/a | "You can make a single, one-time snapshot request per month." |
| Retention of files | n/a | "Once you generate a report instance, it's available for 35 days. After this period, the system automatically deletes report instances." |
| Inactivity | n/a | "If you don't retrieve data for a long time, a report request changes to stoppedDueToInactivity. You need to make a new request to resume getting reports." |
| Late data | n/a | "Instances from a more recent processingDate overwrite instances with an earlier processingDate." |
| Schema | n/a | "Rely on column names instead of column positions in the report files to ensure smoother schema upgrades." |

Sources: [Downloading Analytics Reports](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapi/downloading-analytics-reports), [Analytics Reports](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports), [Data completeness](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports/data-completeness-corrections).

Reports come in five categories: App Store Engagement, App Store Commerce, App Usage, Framework Usage and Performance. History is limited: the downloads report has data "beginning from January 1, 2024," and the subscription state report "beginning from January 1, 2025." The subscription report is the most useful addition for growth teams: "Subscription data in this report is enriched with app download source and referrer information, enabling you to understand which acquisition channels help you acquire subscribers."

Three tips from Apple's docs: start an ONGOING request right away, because "Apple does not generate reports until you create a valid Analytics Report Request"; download at least weekly, since files disappear after 35 days; and when a date appears in two files, "Use the latest instance" to avoid double counting.

## Part 11: Apple Ads Attribution

Superapp Selfdrive runs Apple Ads and reports campaign results next to your App Store data. Inside your app, Apple Ads installs are attributed through the AdServices framework: "Attribute app-download campaigns that originate from the App Store on iOS devices." "The token that the framework returns is a Base64 encoded string and has a 24-hour TTL," and "You can provide the token to a Mobile Measurement Provider (MMP), or app developers can use it to make a POST API call to fetch attribution records within the 24-hour TTL window" ([Apple AdServices](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/adservices/aaattribution/attributiontoken())).

The attribution rule: a result is attributed "if a user clicks an Apple Ads impression up to 30 days before your app download or views it within 24 hours," and "the tap-through attribution window is 30 days and tap-through attribution is prioritized over view-through attribution." One gap: "when you enable search match, the API doesn't return keywordId in the attribution response." For the ads side, see [Apple Ads Basic vs Advanced](https://superapp.dev/blog/apple-ads-basic-vs-advanced) and the [best Apple Ads tools](https://superapp.dev/blog/best-apple-ads-tools).

## Part 12: What Developers Learned From Their Analytics

Superapp Selfdrive is new and has no independent case studies yet, so here is what other developers found in App Store Connect.

| Story | Superapp Selfdrive | What the analytics showed | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| habitdoom, listing changes | Superapp Selfdrive: same loop (change listing, compare before and after) | "conversion rate rose from 7.94% to 9.84% purely from listing iterations." | habitdoom (independent) |
| habitdoom, source mix | n/a | "App Store Search remains the dominant traffic source (90.6%+)." | habitdoom |
| habitdoom, ads vs organic | n/a | "ASA installers retained at roughly 21% D7 versus about 32% for organic." | habitdoom |
| FuseCells, six weeks | n/a | "~10.4K impressions", "~3.1K product page views", "~813 downloads", "~10% conversion" | Hacker News (independent) |
| Cloudy, a surprise feature | n/a | "it said that all these downloads and impressions came through browsing" | Indie Hackers (independent) |
| Slopes, App of the Day | n/a | "On day one of the feature I saw that only ~5.5k the 19k downloads actually launched the app." | Curtis Herbert (independent) |
| A featured indie game | n/a | "I average about 200 downloads per week, at around 4500 impressions." Then "It got featured once in some list (in Thailand) and I got about 1 million impressions per day." | Hacker News (independent) |
| TableFlip, Mac App Store | n/a | "only 1/3 of the sales can be assigned to one of its categories (App Store Search, Web Referrer, or App Store Browse)." | Christian Tietze (independent) |
| In-App Event | n/a | "The update appeared after approximately 20 days." | Apple Developer Forums |
| Retention sample | n/a | Apple's tooltip: "In the last day, 27% of all users that installed" had opted in | Apple Developer Forums |

Sources: [habitdoom](https://habitdoom.com/blog/341-downloads-first-revenue), [FuseCells on Hacker News](https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/46483279), [Cloudy](https://www.indiehackers.com/product/cloudy), [Slopes Diaries](https://blog.curtisherbert.com/slopes-diaries-23-featuring-numbers/), [Hacker News](https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/21014410), [Christian Tietze](https://christiantietze.de/posts/2019/06/tableflip-app-store-stats/), [Apple forums 823254](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/823254), [Apple forums 735513](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/735513).

What these teach:

- **Conversion is the lever you control.** The habitdoom developer raised conversion with listing changes alone, then concluded, "The bigger blocker is feeding more humans into the top of the funnel, not converting the ones who arrive." Analytics told him which problem to work on next.
 - **Paid users can be worse users.** His Apple Ads users retained worse at Day 7 than organic ones. Split retention by source before scaling ads.
 - **Browse spikes mean featuring.** Cloudy's developer worked out he had been featured from the source chart: "I knew it was impossible to find the app unless it was featured."
 - **Downloads are not users.** Slopes' launch rate on feature day was under a third.
 - **Small numbers hide.** An In-App Event took about 20 days to show data because of the five-download floor.

## Part 13: Common App Store Analytics Mistakes

Superapp Selfdrive's report compares like with like, but these mistakes come up again and again in Apple's developer forums.

| Mistake | Superapp Selfdrive | What happens | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comparing Analytics with Sales and Trends | Superapp Selfdrive: one daily summary | "the number doesn't match at all with the result I can see on the AppStore Connect website. It's a very different result. Like 3x or even more." | Compare downloads with downloads, units with units, in the same time zone |
| Ignoring time zones | n/a | "And don't forget to set it to "UTC" so you compare data from the same timezone." | Set Sales and Trends to UTC when comparing with Analytics |
| Treating search as organic | Reports Apple Ads results separately | "I noticed that Apple analytics is not differentiating Search ad installs from organic installs." | Subtract Apple Ads installs |
| Expecting Apple Ads under Campaigns | n/a | "Search Ads do not appear under App Analytics." | Campaigns are only your own pt and ct links |
| Trusting detailed API reports for totals | n/a | "The total numbers for First downloads and Redownloads are at least 40% lower in the detailed reports as they are in the standard reports/app store connect." | Use standard reports for totals |
| Reading today's numbers | n/a | "Anything inside a week is early, not late." | Judge trends over weeks or months |
| Treating retention as everyone | n/a | Only opted-in users count | Check the opt-in rate; use in-app analytics for exact numbers |
| Believing a sudden spike | n/a | "$12.7 MILLION in proceeds over the last 4 hours" next to one download | Check Sales and Trends and your payment provider before reacting |
| Expecting campaign subscriptions in one view | n/a | "I can see the number of downloads, but I'm unsure where to find the number of subscriptions generated from these unique links." | Filter subscription metrics by campaign, or export detailed reports |
| Never downloading reports | n/a | Reports expire | Export monthly |

Sources: [Apple forums 739748](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/739748), [777117](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/777117), [81868](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/81868), [652269](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/652269), [749476](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/749476), [111662](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/111662), [749941](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/749941), [763176](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/763176).

A forum regular's view of very recent data is worth repeating: "Best to look instead at slightly longer trends - weeks, at the least, months better yet."

## Part 14: App Store Analytics Tools Beyond App Store Connect

Superapp Selfdrive is not an analytics dashboard; it reads your App Store Connect data and acts on it. If you want more charts, tools fall into four groups, and the group decides what data you get.

| Tool | Superapp Selfdrive | Data source | What it adds | Price (checked Oct 2026) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Superapp Selfdrive | Superapp Selfdrive: AI marketing agent | Your App Store Connect analytics and Apple Ads results | Daily email plus listing and Apple Ads actions, with approval | Included in Max, $100/month |
| App Store Connect | n/a | Apple | Everything in this guide | Free |
| Appfigures | n/a | Your App Store Connect data, plus competitor data | One dashboard for downloads, revenue, ratings and ranks | Free Starter; paid from $9.99/month |
| AppTweak | n/a | App Store Connect integration plus market data | ASO and keyword tracking next to your data | From $79/month |
| AppFollow | n/a | App Store Connect integration plus store data | Reviews, ratings, ASO, competitors | No public prices |
| Sensor Tower (now owns data.ai) | n/a | Estimates | Competitor downloads and revenue | Custom pricing |
| RevenueCat | n/a | Purchase data | Subscription charts: MRR, trials, churn | Free up to $2,500 monthly tracked revenue, then 1% |
| Adapty | n/a | Purchase data plus App Store Connect | Subscription analytics and paywalls | Free up to $5K monthly revenue, then 1% |
| TelemetryDeck | n/a | In-app SDK | Privacy-first product analytics for Apple platforms | Free tier 50,000 events/month for new accounts |
| Firebase / Google Analytics | n/a | In-app SDK | Free event analytics | No cost |
| Mixpanel, Amplitude, PostHog | n/a | In-app SDK | Funnels, retention, product analytics | Free up to 1M, 2M and 1M events/month |
| AppsFlyer, Adjust | n/a | SDK plus ad networks | Attribution across ad networks | AppsFlyer $0.07 per conversion after a free tier; Adjust free base plan |

Sources: [Appfigures](https://appfigures.com/pricing), [AppTweak](https://www.apptweak.com/en/pricing), [AppFollow](https://appfollow.io/pricing), [Sensor Tower](https://sensortower.com/pricing), [data.ai](https://www.data.ai/), [RevenueCat](https://www.revenuecat.com/pricing/), [Adapty](https://adapty.io/pricing/), [TelemetryDeck](https://telemetrydeck.com/blog/pricing-update-2026/), [Firebase](https://firebase.google.com/pricing), [Mixpanel](https://mixpanel.com/pricing/), [Amplitude](https://amplitude.com/pricing), [PostHog](https://posthog.com/pricing), [AppsFlyer](https://www.appsflyer.com/pricing/), [Adjust](https://www.adjust.com/pricing/).

How to choose:

- **App Store Connect tools** (Appfigures, AppTweak, AppFollow) show Apple's own numbers, so they share Apple's delays. AppTweak says, "When a user connects their integration for the first time, we fetch 162 days of historical data available in App Store Connect."
 - **Estimate tools** (Sensor Tower) are for competitors, not your own numbers. Sensor Tower itself says, "The best way to find out how accurate they are is to compare it to your own data."
 - **Purchase data tools** (RevenueCat, Adapty) are faster for revenue but will not match Apple exactly: RevenueCat notes "in-app purchase data from Apple, Google, or Stripe may not match what RevenueCat reports in Charts or in Overview."
 - **In-app SDKs** (TelemetryDeck, Firebase, Mixpanel, Amplitude, PostHog) count every user, not only those who opted in, but cannot see App Store impressions or product page views. Use one with App Store Connect, not instead of it.

For ASO tools specifically, see our guides to the [best ASO tools](https://superapp.dev/blog/best-aso-tools-in-2026) and [AppTweak alternatives](https://superapp.dev/blog/apptweak-alternatives).

## Part 15: What to Check Every Day, Week and Month

Superapp Selfdrive does the daily check for you; here is the routine either way.

| When | Superapp Selfdrive | Check | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Daily (5 minutes) | Superapp Selfdrive: morning email with analytics, downloads, ad spend and campaign results | Yesterday's units and proceeds in Sales and Trends; Apple Ads spend; crashes after a release | Catch breakage and runaway spend |
| Weekly | Agent reviews keywords and bids as data comes in | Impressions, product page views, conversion rate and first-time downloads by source and territory; campaign links; PPO test status | Spot trends on data that is complete |
| Monthly | Proposes the next listing change | Peer benchmarks; Day 1, 7 and 28 retention; Download to Paid; subscription churn; export reports | Decide the next ASO or product change |
| After every change | Compares metrics before and after an update | Same metric, same length of period, before and after | Know what worked |
| Quarterly | n/a | Payments and Financial Reports against your estimates; source mix; top territories | Check the real money and where to localize |

Apple's dashboards are moving, too. An Apple engineer confirmed on the developer forums that "As the data and reports get migrated to Analytics, the corresponding Sales and Trends data will be removed from App Store Connect," starting "in mid-2026 with the deprecation of the Sales and Trends Subscriptions dashboards, followed by the remaining dashboards and reports over the course of 2027," and advised, "If you are currently using Sales and Trends reports to export data at scale, migrate to the Analytics Reports API to avoid future disruption" ([Apple Developer Forums](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/822986)).

## Why Reading Analytics Is Routine Work an AI Agent Does Well

Superapp Selfdrive was built because checking analytics is easy to skip and easy to misread. As a disclosure, Superapp is our product, so weigh this accordingly.

Most developers either binge on numbers after launch ("I can't stop checking and end up wasting the whole day," as one Product Hunt poster wrote) or stop looking. Neither helps. The useful work is a loop: read the numbers on schedule, compare like with like, find the next keyword or listing change, ship one change, compare again. An agent is better at that than a tired founder, because it never skips a day and never forgets what changed when.

What Selfdrive does, in its own words:

- "Every morning, Superapp sends you one email."
 - "The morning email summarizes App Store Connect analytics, downloads, ad spend and campaign results"
 - "Selfdrive combines proprietary keyword data, your Apple Ads results and competing listings"
 - "The agent proposes metadata changes with a reason for each recommendation."
 - "Compare available App Store Connect metrics before and after an update"
 - "Nothing is submitted as an approved listing update until you accept it."
 - "Selfdrive does not authorize an increase beyond the budget you set."

What it needs and does not do: "Selfdrive needs access to the selected app and its analytics, plus permission to submit the listing changes you approve." It is not a replacement for in-app product analytics, it does not make screenshots ("Screenshot production is not included in this ASO workflow."), it works on iOS apps only and it is in beta. "Keyword research does not guarantee a rank or a number of downloads." Pricing: "Selfdrive is included in the Max plan, $100/month, with 230 credits a month." To start, "Paste your App Store link to get a free growth plan." on the [Selfdrive page](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive). More on the ASO side: [Selfdrive ASO](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive/aso) and [Selfdrive Apple Ads](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive/apple-ads).

## App Store Analytics Glossary

- **App Analytics:** the analytics section of App Store Connect.
 - **Impression:** your app icon seen for more than one second on Today, Games, Apps or Search; includes product page views in the dashboard.
 - **Unique impressions:** impressions counted once per device.
 - **Conversion rate:** total downloads and pre-orders divided by unique device impressions.
 - **First-time download:** the first download of your app by an Apple Account.
 - **Redownload:** a later download by the same account (restores excluded in Analytics).
 - **Installation:** a completed install on a device, including Family Sharing and extra devices.
 - **App unit:** a first-time purchase or free download in Sales and Trends.
 - **Source type:** App Store search, App Store browse, app referrer, web referrer, or unavailable.
 - **Campaign link:** an App Store link with pt (your account) and ct (campaign name) parameters.
 - **Opt-in rate:** the share of users who share usage data with developers.
 - **Retention:** the share of devices that opened your app a set number of days after installing.
 - **Download to Paid:** the share of downloads followed by a purchase within a set number of days.
 - **Proceeds:** what you earn after taxes and Apple's commission (an estimate until paid).
 - **Peer group benchmarks:** your metrics against similar apps at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles.
 - **ONGOING / ONE_TIME_SNAPSHOT:** the two Analytics Reports API request types.

## FAQ

**What is App Store analytics?**
App Store analytics is the data Apple gives developers in App Store Connect about how people find, download, use and pay for their app. Superapp Selfdrive summarizes it in a morning email and uses it to propose listing and Apple Ads changes.

**What is the best App Store analytics tool?**
App Store Connect's own Analytics is the source of truth and is free. Superapp Selfdrive is the best choice if you want the numbers read for you and turned into listing and Apple Ads actions; Appfigures and AppTweak add dashboards, and RevenueCat adds subscription charts.

**Where do I find analytics in App Store Connect?**
Open App Store Connect, go to Apps, choose your app and open Analytics. Since 2025, analytics live inside each app rather than in a separate section.

**What is a good conversion rate on the App Store?**
It depends on category and definition. Compare your conversion rate to your peer group's 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles in App Store Connect.

**How does Apple calculate conversion rate?**
Total downloads and pre-orders divided by unique device impressions. It is not downloads divided by product page views.

**What counts as an impression?**
Your app viewed on the Today, Games, Apps or Search tabs for more than one second. Dashboard impressions include product page views.

**What is the difference between impressions and product page views?**
Impressions count every time your app is seen, including in search results and lists. Product page views count only visits to your full page.

**What is the difference between downloads and installations?**
Downloads are taps on Get or redownload. Installations count completed installs on each device, including Family Sharing and extra devices on the same account, so they are often higher.

**Why don't App Analytics and Sales and Trends match?**
They use different definitions and time zones. Analytics uses UTC and excludes restores, TestFlight sales and watchOS, while Sales and Trends counts app units and can show Pacific Time.

**Does App Store search include Apple Ads?**
Yes. Apple says App Store search includes views and downloads from ads in search results. Subtract your Apple Ads installs to estimate organic search.

**Why does Chrome traffic show as an app referrer?**
On iOS, taps from non-Safari browsers such as Chrome are attributed to that browser app under App Referrers, not Web Referrers.

**What are campaign links?**
App Store links with a provider token (pt) for your account and a campaign token (ct) for each campaign, so App Store Connect can attribute downloads from your own marketing.

**How long until campaign data shows?**
At least 24 hours after launch, and only once the campaign has first-time downloads from at least five people.

**Why is my retention data empty?**
Retention only counts users who opted in to share usage data, and cells stay blank until privacy thresholds are met. New and small apps see gaps.

**How is retention calculated?**
The percentage of active devices that installed on a given day and opened the app a set number of days later. Installs that are never opened are excluded.

**What is the opt-in rate?**
The share of users who agreed to share diagnostics and usage data with developers. All usage and retention metrics come only from them.

**What is the difference between sales and proceeds?**
Sales are what customers were billed. Proceeds are what you earn after taxes and Apple's commission, and Analytics proceeds are estimates until you are paid.

**When do I get paid by Apple?**
Payment information for the previous fiscal month appears in Payments and Financial Reports from the first Wednesday of the current fiscal month.

**How do I measure subscription churn?**
Use the subscriptions dashboard for voluntary and involuntary churn, and the monthly subscription retention cohort (M1, M2, M3) for how each month's subscribers hold up.

**What is Download to Paid?**
The percentage of downloads followed by a purchase within a set number of days, shown at 1, 7, 14, 35 and 40 days. Benchmarks use Day 35.

**What are peer group benchmarks?**
Comparisons of your metrics with similar apps by category, business model and download volume, shown as 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles each week.

**How fresh is App Store Connect data?**
The Sales and Trends dashboard is near real time. Analytics API data for a day is complete after two days, and some reports take three.

**Why is my data delayed or frozen?**
Processing delays, privacy thresholds and occasional outages. Judge trends over weeks rather than reacting to one day.

**What is the Analytics Reports API?**
Apple's API for exporting App Store Connect analytics in bulk as daily, weekly and monthly report files.

**How do I get historical data from the API?**
Make a ONE_TIME_SNAPSHOT request, allowed once a month. Downloads history goes back to January 1, 2024.

**Is Sales and Trends being retired?**
Apple says its data will move into Analytics, starting with the subscription dashboards in mid-2026 and the remaining dashboards and reports during 2027.

**Can I see competitor analytics?**
Not in App Store Connect. Tools like Sensor Tower and Appfigures provide estimates for other apps.

**Do I need an in-app analytics SDK too?**
Usually yes. App Store Connect covers the store side; an SDK counts every user in your app, not only those who opted in.

**How often should I check App Store analytics?**
Glance daily for breakage and spend, review acquisition weekly, and make decisions monthly. Superapp Selfdrive sends the daily summary for you.

**How much does Superapp Selfdrive cost?**
It is included in the Superapp Max plan at $100 a month with 230 credits. Apple Ads spend is separate and stays within your budget.

## References

- Apple: [Analytics in App Store Connect](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/analytics/), [App Store Connect what's new](https://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/whats-new/), [WWDC25 session 252](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/252/), [Tech Talk 111459](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/tech-talks/111459/), [Tech Talk 110365](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/tech-talks/110365/)
 - App Store Connect Help: [App metrics](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-metrics), [Analytics dashboard](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/overview/analytics-dashboard), [Acquisition](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/acquisition), [Campaign links](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/acquisition/campaign-links), [Retention](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/engagement/app-retention), [Cohorts](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/monetization/cohorts), [Subscriptions](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/monetization/subscriptions), [Peer group benchmarks](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/benchmarks/peer-group-benchmarks/), [Differences in reporting tools](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/measure-app-performance/differences-in-reporting-tools), [Analytics Reports API](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect-analytics/overview/analytics-reports-api)
 - Apple API docs: [Analytics Reports](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/analytics-reports), [Downloading Analytics Reports](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapi/downloading-analytics-reports), [AdServices](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/adservices)
 - Superapp: [Selfdrive](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive), [Selfdrive ASO](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive/aso), [Selfdrive Apple Ads](https://superapp.dev/selfdrive/apple-ads), [App Store optimization guide](https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-optimization), [App Store keyword research](https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-keyword-research)
 - Press: [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/25/apple-announces-major-update-to-analytics-in-app-store-connect/), [MacStories](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-overhauls-app-store-connect/), [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/03/25/developers-finally-get-more-app-store-data-from-apple), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/25/apple-overhauls-its-app-developer-platform-with-100-new-metrics-more-tools)

## Keep reading

[Best Free Mobile App Builders in 2026

Oct 26, 2026](https://superapp.dev/blog/best-free-mobile-app-builders) [App Store Optimization (ASO): The Complete 2026 Guide

Oct 25, 2026](https://superapp.dev/blog/app-store-optimization) [TestFlight Beta Testing 2026: How to Test Your iPhone App

Oct 25, 2026](https://superapp.dev/blog/testflight-beta-testing)

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