People ask me whether they should turn 1 day view off on Meta. I keep it on when I set up a campaign, and it has nothing to do with making the numbers look prettier.
What 14 weeks of data shows
Across 14 weeks of one subscription app account, I grouped every campaign by its attribution setting and compared Meta’s install count with the MMP’s.
The dashed marker is 1.0x, where Meta and the MMP agree on the install count.
Campaigns on click only came in at or slightly below the MMP. Turn 1 day view on and Meta runs 20% ahead, because the MMP’s view window was shorter than Meta’s. I grouped different campaigns by setting, so this is not one campaign with the setting flipped. Read the 20% as the size of the gap. It does not give an exact price for the setting.
| Who counts the install | Counts a click for | Counts a view for | Meta installs ÷ MMP installs |
|---|---|---|---|
| The MMP, on every campaign | 7 days | 6 hours | 1.0x, the baseline |
| Meta, 7 day click or 1 day view | 7 days | 1 day | 1.20x |
| Meta, 7 day click | 7 days | Not counted | 0.97x |
| Meta, 1 day click | 1 day | Not counted | 0.91x |
The only Meta setting that runs ahead of the MMP is the one that counts views for longer than the MMP does.
What 1 day view buys me
The algorithm learns from more events. Cutting view attribution cuts signal, and on an account with limited volume, signal is the constraint.
The behavior it catches is also real. Someone downloads the app and never opens it. Someone installs, hesitates, then sees an ad that answers what they were unsure about, and opens the app. Neither leaves a click you can trace, and both can be the ad doing work. How often it is the ad doing the work is a question for a lift test. On iOS, the same thing happens when people see the ad and search for the app name later. Two reports show how much of your iOS organic is paid Meta traffic.
To close the reporting gap, raise the view attribution window in the MMP’s Meta configuration instead of cutting view attribution on Meta’s side. Matching the windows also makes comparing Meta against the MMP useful for budget decisions.
| What changes | Turn 1 day view off on Meta | Raise the MMP’s view window for Meta |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting gap | Meta should land near the MMP, like the click only campaigns at 0.97x and 0.91x. | Closes it by matching the two windows. |
| Signal for the algorithm | Cuts it. | Keeps it. The algorithm still learns from the view events. |
| Installs with no click to trace | Meta no longer credits the ad for them. | Meta keeps crediting the ad for them. |
Both options shrink the reporting gap. Only the MMP change keeps the signal, so that is the one I make.
7 day click plus 1 day view is still my default.
A different gap shows up when a Meta web to app campaign reports clicks while AppsFlyer shows no installs. It has its own causes, and I cover the checks in why Meta web to app shows clicks but no installs in AppsFlyer.