Strategic Customer Success Manager - Martech / Adtech

Mobile measurement partners in 2026: what app marketers should evaluate. Mobile measurement partners help connect app installs and in-app activity to marketing channels. In 2026, the practical choice depends on attribution methods, privacy constraints, integrations and the events a team needs to measure. A mobile measurement partner, commonly called an MMP, is a third-party service used to connect app marketing activity with measurable outcomes. It can link an ad interaction to an app install, then associate later in-app events with the campaign or channel involved. For teams trying to understand how people arrive in an app and what happens after installation, that function is central to the wider mobile technology landscape. In brief. * A mobile measurement partner links app installs, in-app events and user behavior to specific marketing campaigns or channels. * Selection criteria include technology-stack integration, mobile attribution, cross-channel measurement and privacy compliance. * Universal Ads added Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava and Singular as mobile measurement partners in its Business Partners Program. * Last-click attribution and multi-touch attribution assign conversion credit differently, with multi-touch harder to implement under mobile privacy restrictions. There is no evidence in the available material for a definitive ranking of the best MMPs in 2026. The more useful question is which capabilities fit a particular app, marketing workflow and privacy environment. That means looking beyond a vendor name and examining the data an organization needs, where it needs that data to go and which attribution assumptions shape the resulting reports. What a mobile measurement partner measures. According to Affise's explanation of mobile attribution, an MMP can follow the journey from an interaction with an advertisement to an app installation and later conversions. The service sits between advertisers and advertising networks as an attribution and analytics layer, allowing marketers to associate installs, in-app events and user behavior with specific campaigns or channels. The measurement path can involve several stages. A tracking link identifies campaign information when an ad is served, and a click can be logged before the user is sent to an app store. Once an app is installed and opened, the attribution system can attempt to match the installation with an earlier interaction. Events that occur after installation can then be attributed back to the original source, creating a view that extends beyond the first download. This does not make every marketing outcome certain or directly comparable across platforms. It does, however, give teams a framework for asking more precise questions: which campaign preceded an install, which users completed a defined in-app action, and which channels appear in the recorded path to that action. MMPs can also send postbacks to ad networks containing information about installations or conversion events. Why post-install events matter. An install is an important milestone, but it is not the full story of how an app is used. Branch's guidance on choosing an MMP recommends checking whether a provider can track in-app events beyond installation. That capability can help a team examine behavior after acquisition rather than treating every download as the end of the measurement process. For a consumer app, the relevant event depends on the service and the question being asked. It might be account registration, adding an item to a cart or completing a purchase. The available evidence does not establish which event is most valuable for every app. It does show why event definitions should be considered before choosing a measurement setup: a platform that stops at install cannot provide the same view as one configured to record later activity. Integration is equally practical. Branch advises organizations to consider how an MMP fits their existing technology stack, which systems need access to its data and which people need to configure campaigns or produce reports. APIs, webhooks, software development kits and connections to other marketing tools are not interchangeable details. They affect whether attribution data can be used alongside the systems a team already relies on. Attribution models require clear expectations. Attribution answers a specific question: which touchpoint receives credit for a conversion? The answer changes with the model. Affise describes last-click attribution as assigning all conversion credit to the last click before an installation. It is a straightforward model, but it does not assign credit to earlier interactions. Multi-touch attribution distributes credit across several touchpoints according to defined rules. It can offer a broader representation of a user path, but Affise notes that it is harder to implement in mobile environments affected by tracking and privacy restrictions. Neither model should be assumed to deliver universally superior results. Their usefulness depends on campaign objectives, available signals and the limits of the measurement environment. Teams should also consider deduplication. Branch identifies it as a way to check whether advertising is cannibalizing organic traffic and whether spending is being attributed correctly. This is particularly relevant when paid, owned and earned channels all contribute to an app's visibility. A report that combines channels without resolving overlaps may lead to a different interpretation than one that handles duplicated credit. Privacy and cross-channel measurement shape the choice. Privacy requirements are part of the product decision, not a final compliance check. Branch lists privacy compliance, mobile attribution and an omnichannel, cross-device approach among the questions organizations should address when assessing an MMP. Data availability, attribution methods and reporting expectations need to be considered together, especially where users interact across mobile devices and other screens. That cross-screen issue is becoming more visible in advertising workflows. In July 2026, Universal Ads announced integrations with Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch, Kochava and Singular as mobile measurement partners in its Business Partners Program. Universal Ads said the integrations cover install measurement, post-install event tracking and campaign analytics for app advertisers using premium TV. It also said setup typically does not require an additional SDK, though that statement should not be read as a guarantee for every technical configuration. For readers evaluating MMP options, the practical takeaway is to start with the measurement plan rather than a generic vendor list. Define the events that matter after installation, identify the systems that need the resulting data, establish the attribution models that reports will use and test how privacy constraints affect each workflow. A well-defined evaluation will make it easier to judge whether an MMP supports the app's actual reporting needs without overstating what attribution can prove.

EXCLUSIVE: The Trade Desk's top engineering exec departs after more than 12 years. Aravind Chandrasekharan is the latest exec to exit in a year of leadership turnover at the adtech company. 4 hours ago The future of brands gets decided here. Join the industry's top marketers at Brandweek for the ideas, insights, and connections shaping what's next. Get your ticket. The Trade Desk is losing another member of Jeff Green's inner circle. SVP of engineering Aravind Chandrasekharan is leaving the adtech company after more than 12 years, it confirmed to ADWEEK. His last day is Aug. 28. Chandrasekharan is headed to Branch, a mobile attribution platform, where he will serve as its chief product and technology officer. In a statement, he told ADWEEK he sees "significant opportunity to build on Branch's strong customer base and its deep expertise in deep linking and measurement to help brands make their marketing and advertising dollars more effective." "I'm also excited to lead a product and development organization building in the AI era, where the speed of innovation from idea to product can be transformative for customers," he continued. Trishla is an Adweek staff reporter covering AI and tech. Recommended videos

I refuse to use a new Android phone without installing this free app first. Rajesh started following the latest happenings in the world of Android around the release of the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S. After flashing custom ROMs and kernels on his beloved Galaxy S, he started writing about Android for a living. He uses the latest Samsung or Pixel flagship as his daily driver. And yes, he carries an iPhone as a secondary device. Rajesh has been writing for Android Police since 2021, covering news, how-tos, and features. Based in India, he has previously written for Neowin, AndroidBeat, Times of India, iPhoneHacks, MySmartPrice, and MakeUseOf. When not working, you will find him mindlessly scrolling through X, playing with new AI models, or going on long road trips. You can reach out to him on Twitter or drop a mail at [email protected]. The lack of a true universal search tool on Android has always frustrated me. For a company that dominates the search market, I find it puzzling that Android still doesn't offer a system-wide search tool that can search across my contacts, messages, installed apps, shortcuts, and more. Thankfully, a free Android app solves this problem, and it's the first app I install on any new Android phone that I set up. No matter the phone, these apps have to go How does Android still not have a Spotlight-like search? No universal search tool. Despite packing so many advanced features and AI integration, Android still does not offer a native Spotlight-like search tool. On Pixel phones, the Pixel Launcher's search functionality fills this gap to a large extent, enabling you to search through your installed apps, shortcuts, and on-device data. But on a non-Pixel device, you may or may not get a similar unified search tool. That's why, for years, Sesame Search was my go-to search app on Android. It was the universal search tool that Android users deserved. The app offered Spotlight-like functionality and could search through all my installed apps, contacts, messages, notes, and even services like Spotify and Google Maps. Sesame was eventually acquired by Branch, the same analytics company that acquired Nova Launcher. While I was initially excited about this acquisition, it eventually led to the app's demise. The last Sesame update rolled out on the Play Store in November 2022, adding support for Android R and Android S - better known as Android 11 and Android 12. With no viable replacement, I stuck with Sesame Search for years, until it began running into issues on newer Android builds. Pixel Search became my Android Spotlight replacement. Fortunately, Pixel Search emerged as a viable alternative to Sesame Search in 2023, bringing Pixel Launcher-like search functionality to any Android device. Best of all, the app was free to use. Admittedly, while not as feature-rich as Sesame Search, Pixel Search quickly became my go-to search tool and the first app I installed on any new Android device. Sadly, the developer abandoned the app after a few months. While I stuck with it, the experience kept getting worse, and the lack of features, such as fuzzy search, only made matters worse. With no better alternative, I stuck with Pixel Search despite its bugs and the lack of new features or updates. And then, unexpectedly, the app came back to life again earlier this month. After almost two years, the developer started updating Pixel Search, rolling out new, much-needed features and changes that held it back. Pixel Search 2.0 comes with a revamped design, additional widget customization options, and, more importantly, support for custom search engines and URL support. It also adds contextual popups, so when I search for a contact or address, a long-press on the result instantly surfaces relevant actions like calling, messaging, or navigating. Pixel Search v2.1 is already rolling out, adding fuzzy search support, faster app indexing, and Perplexity AI as a built-in search engine option. The home screen widget also gets a big upgrade - it can now double as a calculator, making quick calculations possible without even opening an app. Pixel Search saves me hundreds of unnecessary taps and helps me get things done faster. If I want to start a WhatsApp conversation with a contact, I open Pixel Search, type the person's name, and tap the WhatsApp icon next to it to jump straight into the chat. That's far quicker than opening WhatsApp, tapping the search bar, looking up the contact, and then selecting their name. Similarly, if I need navigation directions to a café, I start typing its name in Pixel Search and then directly trigger a Google Maps search. I can even directly initiate a search in ChatGPT, Gemini, or YouTube Music from the app's search results. Almost every aspect of Pixel Search is customizable. From the number of web results it shows, the order of search providers, to default apps for PDFs, ZIP files, and other file types. It's also possible to adjust the app's background transparency, change the search bar's position, and add a search tile to the Quick Settings panel for quick access from anywhere. I can set the number of web search suggestions that appear in search results, the order of search suggestions, the default apps for opening PDFs, ZIP, and other file types, background transparency, and much more. Join the newsletter to follow focused coverage of Android search tools - from Pixel Search updates and setup tips to customization guides and comparisons. Subscribe for deeper insights and practical recommendations for unified search solutions. Pixel Search was already my go-to search app for Android despite its lack of updates. And now, with its recent improvements, it has become truly indispensable. What's surprising is that despite packing so many features and solving a major Android pain point, Pixel Search remains completely free to use. The perfect Pixel Launcher search replacement. Even for Pixel devices. Google itself is moving away from Pixel Launcher's built-in search on the home screen, replacing it with a search experience powered by the Google app. It's doing so to provide users with faster access to AI mode. The problem is that this Google app-powered search experience is a clear downgrade. It cannot search through device settings, contacts, messages, and app shortcuts. Plus, it's nowhere as fast as the Pixel Launcher's search. With Google trying to push AI mode, it is unlikely to undo this change. Thankfully, Pixel Search will provide even Pixel users with a way to reclaim the fast, unified search experience they're losing. In many ways, the app delivers the same experience that Google itself has decided to walk away from. Pixel Search delivers the search experience we deserve. With Google seemingly not interested in solving the system-wide Spotlight-like search gap in Android, Pixel Search has become a non-negotiable app for me. It's a free, powerful tool that helps speed up my workflow and saves me from digging through endless menus. At this point, I refuse to use an Android phone without it.