From signals to optimization: how AppsFlyer powers TikTok’s iOS performance

TikTok has introduced iOS Real-Time Conversion Reporting powered by AppsFlyer’s Advanced SRN, marking a significant shift from relying solely on delayed, aggregate SKAdNetwork data. This integration provides real-time visibility into campaign performance, allowing for faster optimization of bids, creatives, and targeting across the funnel. The key innovation is that TikTok’s optimization engine now uses AppsFlyer’s richer signals, including probabilistic modeling for IDFA-less traffic and deterministic attribution for consented users, vastly improving campaign learning and performance.

Historically, since Apple’s ATT framework in 2021, marketers had to depend on SKAN data with delayed postbacks and limited insights. In 2023, AppsFlyer pioneered Advanced SRN for clearer iOS measurement, but optimization remained constrained. Now, in 2025, TikTok uses these signals for real-time optimization, covering both probabilistic and deterministic data.

Advertisers can enable this by configuring the Advanced Privacy setting in AppsFlyer, which controls data flow between AppsFlyer and TikTok servers. It’s important to note that SKAN and real-time metrics will not match due to different attribution methodologies—they are complementary. AppsFlyer’s Single Source of Truth (SSOT) helps deduplicate signals from both sources for a unified view.

The integration addresses the core challenge of data latency in performance marketing: delayed insights lead to missed opportunities and wasted budgets. With real-time signals, brands can now optimize iOS campaigns effectively, as highlighted by MWM’s COO who praises the ability to respond immediately to campaign performance.

Key takeaways: enable real-time optimization by configuring Advanced Privacy, expect differences between SKAN and real-time reporting, and use SSOT to unify performance data.