Attribution Windows: Setting Click and View Lengths

Short answer: a mobile attribution window is the time after an ad click or view during which an install can still be credited to that ad. Click windows usually run from 1 to 30 days and view windows from a few hours to a few days. The right length depends on how long your users take to decide, so start from your vertical's typical range and then check it against your own days-from-click data.

Most teams never touch their attribution windows. They inherit whatever the MMP or ad network set, and every ROAS number, budget call and campaign verdict quietly rests on that choice.

Set windows too short and you undercredit campaigns that drive genuine but delayed installs. Set them too long and you credit paid campaigns with installs that would have happened anyway. Both waste budget.

This guide covers click vs view windows, starting lengths by vertical, and how to validate yours.

What Is an Attribution Window?

An attribution window is the maximum time between a user interacting with an ad and installing (or converting) during which that install can be credited to the ad. If the matching touchpoint is older than the window, the install is recorded as organic.

There are two types:

• Click window: how long after a tap on your ad an install can be credited to that click. This is click-through attribution.
• View-through window: how long after an impression the user saw but did not tap an install can be credited to that impression. This is view-through attribution.

A quick example. A user sees your Meta ad on Monday afternoon without clicking, clicks a different ad from your campaign on Tuesday morning, and installs on Wednesday afternoon.

• With a 7-day click window: the install goes to Tuesday's click, about 30 hours earlier.
• With a 1-day click window: the click is outside the window, and unless the view window catches Monday's impression, the install is marked organic.

Click Windows vs View-Through Windows

Click windows: strong intent

A click is an action. The user saw your ad and chose to engage. That is why click windows are always longer than view windows.

The real question is not whether to credit clicks, but how long to wait before assuming the install decision was independent of your ad.

View-through windows: weak intent

A view-through credits an install to an ad the user only saw. It is useful for video and upper-funnel formats, but it is also where most overcrediting happens. If someone saw an ad 12 days ago and installs today without clicking anything, the impression almost certainly did not cause it.

Keep view windows short, usually hours to a day or so, and widen them only for formats where passive exposure genuinely drives action. Our guide to view-through attribution covers when to count it and when to discount it.

Which touchpoint wins

With several touchpoints inside your windows, most MMPs use last click by default: the most recent click gets credit and earlier impressions are ignored. Clicks beat views. That is why click windows matter more than view windows for budget decisions. For the trade-offs between models, see attribution models compared. For a plain-language walkthrough of where these settings live, see the attribution window settings chapter of the App Attribution Guide.

Why One Default Does Not Fit Every Vertical

User behaviour varies sharply by category, so a single window length creates systematic errors.

• Casual gaming: impulse installs within minutes or hours. A week-long window lets an old, forgotten click claim an install that came from App Store browsing.
• Fintech: users compare rates, read reviews and ask family before installing a lending or investment app. A short window marks those genuine paid installs as organic, and you cut a channel that was working.
• E-commerce: windows flex with seasonality. Users who browse during a sale announcement often wait for the sale itself before installing or buying. Luxury and home decor take longer than fast fashion or beauty.
• EdTech: academic calendars drive behaviour. Someone might see a test prep ad in July and install in September when the course starts.

Starting Window Lengths by Vertical

These are practitioner starting points, not benchmarks. Validate them against your own data before you lock them in.

A validation test for each:

• Casual gaming: if the vast majority of installs land within 3 days of the click, a longer window is adding noise.
• Fintech: compare users who installed 8 to 14 days after the click with early installers on retention and LTV. If they behave alike, they are real paid users.
• E-commerce: track time from install to first purchase. Long gaps suggest a longer window.
• Mobility: check install-to-first-booking time. If most users book within a day, short windows match behaviour.
• EdTech: map installs against academic calendar dates; clusters reveal the true lag.

Adjust by channel too

Within a vertical, channel type changes the right length:

• Search and retargeting: shorter windows (1 to 5 days). Intent is already high.
• Prospecting and brand campaigns: standard windows for your vertical.
• Influencer and affiliate: longer windows (10 to 14 days) to allow for sharing and consideration lag.

How to Validate Your Current Windows

Your MMP already holds the data to tell you whether your windows match behaviour.

Step 1: Pull install distribution by days from click

Export the last 90 days of attributed installs with install date, click date, days between them and campaign source. Chart the share of installs on day 0, day 1, day 2 and so on.

• If installs cluster in the first few days: a longer window is probably overcrediting.
• If installs spread evenly across 10 or more days: you may need a longer window.
• Red flag: a pile-up of installs right at your window boundary suggests users are converting just outside it.

Step 2: Compare early and late converters

Split attributed installs into early converters (within 3 days of click) and late converters (4 days or more). Compare D7 and D30 retention, revenue per user, time to first purchase and session frequency.

• Late converters look like early ones: they are genuine paid users and your window is right.
• Late converters look like organic users: your window is too long.

Step 3: Break it down by channel

Search converts faster than display; influencer traffic lags more than retargeting. Pull the same distribution for Meta vs Google, search vs display, and influencer vs affiliate. You will often need different windows per network.

Step 4: Test changes on new campaigns first

• Document current settings and baseline metrics.
• Apply the new window to new campaigns only, never mid-campaign.
• Run for at least 30 days.
• Compare attributed installs, retention and revenue against the control, then roll out.

A worked illustration

Picture a mobility app still running a 28-day click window because a previous agency set it that way. Its days-from-click export shows almost all paid installs landing within 3 days, with a thin tail out to day 28 that retains like organic users. Shortening the window to 3 days lowers attributed installs a little, but the remaining paid installs are ones the campaigns actually drove, so reported CAC and ROAS become numbers the team can act on.

Common Attribution Window Mistakes

• Using defaults without checking. Defaults are set for the average app and the average network, not your users.
• Copying a competitor's windows. Their users, creative and category drive different consideration cycles.
• Stretching windows to inflate numbers. Long windows lift attributed installs, then fail when finance checks retention and revenue.
• Ignoring seasonality. Sale periods, festivals and exam seasons change how long users take to decide.
• Not revisiting after product changes. A shorter signup flow or new pricing can shorten your natural window.
• Comparing reports with different windows. If your MMP and an ad network use different windows, their install counts will not match. Our attribution discrepancy guide walks through that check.

Setting Windows in Linkrunner

Linkrunner lets you set click-to-install windows per ad network (1 to 30 days) and view-through windows per partner directly in Settings. By default, Google Ads and Meta use a 30-day click window and every other network uses 7 days. View-through is off by default and is turned on per affiliate partner, with a window of 1 to 24 hours. Full steps are in the attribution windows docs.

Platforms like Linkrunner let you adjust windows per network and export install-level data to check your days-from-click distribution, so you can run the validation steps above without guesswork.

FAQ

What is a mobile attribution window?

A mobile attribution window is the period after a user clicks or views an ad during which an app install can still be credited to that ad. Installs outside the window are recorded as organic. Most MMPs let you set separate click and view-through windows.

What is the default click window?

It depends on the tool and the network. In Linkrunner, Google Ads and Meta default to a 30-day click window and every other network to 7 days, and you can change each from 1 to 30 days. Apple's AdAttributionKit defaults to 30 days for clicks.

How long should a view-through window be?

Short. A few hours to 1 day suits most apps, because an unclicked impression is a weak signal and long view windows overcredit paid channels. Widen it only for formats such as video or CTV where you have evidence that exposure drives installs.

Does SKAN or AdAttributionKit use the same windows?

Not exactly. Apple's AdAttributionKit defaults to 30 days for click impressions and 1 day for view impressions, and the advertised app can change them in its Info.plist to 1 to 30 days for clicks and 1 to 7 days for views. Separately, its conversion windows after first launch run from days 0 to 2, 3 to 7 and 8 to 35. For how the two frameworks relate, see AdAttributionKit vs SKAN.

How often should I review attribution windows?

Every quarter, and after any big product, pricing or seasonal change. Re-run the days-from-click distribution and the early vs late cohort comparison each time.

Key Takeaways

• Do not trust defaults blindly; they are built for the average app.
• Start from your vertical's range, then validate with days-from-click data.
• Use shorter windows for search and retargeting, longer for influencer and affiliate.
• Keep view-through windows far shorter than click windows.
• Test changes on new campaigns and review every quarter.

If you want click windows per network and view-through per partner in one place, request a demo from Linkrunner and check your current windows against your own install data.