SKAN 5.0: The road to transparent digital advertising

At the WWDC 2023 conference, Apple made a major announcement about SKAN 5.0, a significant update to the conversion and privacy measurement platform. Although not explicitly mentioned during the keynote presentation, SKAN 5.0 introduces new features and requirements that will affect advertisers and developers.

In this article, we’ll delve into the key features and expected changes in SKAN 5.0, and discuss how it aligns with privacy practices in the
advertising industry, and how it
 and how it affects
growth marketing agencies
.

Re-engagement and conversion measurement

SKAN 5.0 will include support for re-engagement, allowing advertisers to measure conversions after users open the application through a banner ad. This feature will enable more accurate and detailed metrics and thus a better understanding of the actual impact of advertising campaigns.

Although detailed information on the segmentation for re-engagement in SKAN 5.0 has not been provided, more details are expected to be revealed shortly.

Changes not very significant compared to SKAN 4.0

Unlike previous updates, SKAN 5.0 is expected to have minimal changes compared to its predecessor, SKAN 4.0. This is good news for digital marketing professionals and specialists who are still adapting to the previous version (which, incidentally, has a fairly low adoption rate), as they will not have to make significant adjustments to their measurement strategies. The stability and continuity in SKAN features will help improve the efficiency and accuracy of conversion measurement.

Privacy Statements for Third-Party SDKs

Apple has introduced Privacy Manifests for Third-Party SDKs (Software Development Kit), which means that it will now be mandatory for them to provide privacy information in a standardized format.

This approach increases transparency and users’ understanding of how their personal information is handled in applications and SDKs. Applications that use APIs (Application Programming Interface) that could be used for fingerprinting must declare their use and describe it precisely in their privacy statements.

 

SDK validation and list of privacy-affecting SDKs

Apple has plans to validate third-party SDKs to ensure compliance with privacy policies. In addition, it plans to publish a list of SDKs that have a significant impact on users’ privacy. This measure will allow developers to make more informed decisions when selecting the SDKs they integrate into their applications, thus promoting the protection of user privacy.

 

Overview of the most important features of SKAN 5.0:

  • It was announced at WWDC 2023.
  • SKAN 5 will introduce the reuse feature, which will allow measuring conversions after users open the application through an ad.
  • At the moment, it is not clear how the segmentation will be done.
  • The changes are expected to be minimal compared to SKAN 4.0, which is good news for marketers still adapting to the previous version.
  • Apple has introduced privacy statements for third-party SDKs, requiring them to provide standardized privacy information.
  • Applications using fingerprint APIs must declare their use and describe it accurately in the privacy manifest.
  • Apple will validate SDKs and plans to publish a list of those that affect privacy.
  • These measures align with Google’s Privacy Sandbox and signal a push to improve privacy practices in the ad tech industry.

Apple’s SKAN 5.0: greater privacy control and more re-engagement possibilities

The introduction of SKAN 5.0 and Apple’s privacy-related measures demonstrate a growing commitment to better privacy practices in the technology advertising industry.

These developments also align with Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiatives for Android, reflecting a growing concern for protecting users’ privacy and improving transparency in the realm of

digital advertising

.

As we move toward more transparent and privacy-focused advertising, SKAN 5.0 presents itself as a valuable tool for marketers looking to obtain more accurate metrics and comply with evolving privacy regulations.