Guides: when your app numbers don't add up
Short, sourced answers to the questions indie founders actually search for.
Apple Search Ads installs showing as organic: 6 causes and how to check
Why Apple Search Ads (Apple Ads) installs show up as organic in RevenueCat or your MMP, and how to check each cause: token timing, windows, targeting.
Why RevenueCat and App Store Connect numbers don't match
RevenueCat and App Store Connect disagree because of time zones, gross vs proceeds, refund dates and exchange rates. How to reconcile them.
When does App Store Connect update sales data?
Daily App Store Connect sales reports are available the next day, generally by 8 a.m. Pacific. Weekly, monthly timing and why recent days look low.
Why did my app downloads drop? A 6-step checklist
A step-by-step checklist for a sudden drop in iOS app downloads: reporting artifacts, ads, releases, keywords, rankings and conversion rate.
How to measure Apple Search Ads ROAS with RevenueCat
Calculate Apple Search Ads (Apple Ads) return on ad spend from RevenueCat revenue: use proceeds, a fixed cohort window and attributed installs only.
How to see App Store and Stripe revenue in one dashboard
Three ways to combine App Store and Stripe (or Polar, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy) revenue, and the pitfalls: gross vs net, currency, time zones.
AdServices attribution API: what 404, 400 and attribution=false mean
What Apple's AdServices attribution API responses mean (200 with attribution false, 400, 404, 500) and how to retry, per Apple's documentation.
App Store Connect proceeds vs sales, explained
In App Store Connect, sales is what customers were billed; proceeds is the estimate of what you receive after taxes and Apple's commission. Explained.
App Store Connect time zones: UTC vs Pacific Time
App Analytics uses UTC; Sales and Trends shows UTC by default but downloaded reports use Pacific Time. Why your daily numbers differ between tools.
How to get App Store sales and revenue alerts in Discord
Get App Store and RevenueCat revenue alerts in Discord: a DIY webhook relay vs WhyItChanged's drop alerts, kill rules and Monday scoreboard.