Snapchat App Conversions API
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Signals sends mobile app events from your servers to Snapchat, so app conversions can be attributed to your campaigns even where the SDK alone would miss them.
It complements the Snap SDK rather than replacing it. The SDK reports from inside the app; this connector reports from your own backend, which is useful for events your servers know about and the app does not, such as a purchase confirmed after payment settlement.
Supported sources
Section titled “Supported sources”Sources supported by Snapchat App Conversions API
| Category | Supported |
|---|---|
| App |
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”Before connecting Snapchat App Conversions API, make sure you have:
- A Snapchat Ads account.
- A Snapchat Business Manager account.
- Server-side API permission.
- The Snap SDK deployed in your app, and the app registered in Snapchat Ads Manager.
- Your Snap App ID and an Access Token, plus the store App ID for at least one operating system. See Authentication for where to find them.
- A Datahash Studio account with the target project selected.
Authentication
Section titled “Authentication”In Studio, open Destinations, find Snapchat, and click the App Conversions tile. This connector uses credential entry.
- Enter your Snap App ID and Access Token. Both are required.
- Enter an App ID for at least one of the operating systems: Android App ID or IOS App ID. Supply both if your app ships on both.
- Click Validate Credentials, then Finish.
| Field | What it is | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Snap App ID | The identifier Snapchat assigns to your registered app. Required. | Snapchat Ads Manager, Events Manager, then open your app. |
| Access Token | A credential authorizing Datahash to send events on your behalf. Required. | Ads Manager, then Business Details, then Conversions API Tokens, then Generate Token. |
| Android App ID | Your app identifier on the Google Play store. | The Google Play Console, or the store listing URL for your app. |
| IOS App ID | Your app identifier on the Apple App Store. | App Store Connect, or the store listing URL for your app. |
At least one of the two store App IDs must be supplied. Signals uses it to tie the events to the right app listing, so an app that ships on both platforms should have both entered.
Manage instance
Section titled “Manage instance”To change the instance, open it from Manage Instances, use the menu in the top right and choose Edit, update the fields and click Finish. Cancel keeps the previous configuration running, so updates apply only after you finish.
Deduplication
Section titled “Deduplication”Deduplication happens on the basis of the event ID. The Snap SDK is usually already running in the app, so where both the SDK and your server report the same action the same event ID has to travel on both, or Snapchat counts it twice.
The simplest arrangement is to let the SDK report in-app actions and send only the events your backend confirms.
Data & identifiers
Section titled “Data & identifiers”Send identifiers already hashed where you can. Plain text also works: they are normalized and SHA-256 hashed before they reach Snapchat.
Alongside the usual match keys, app events can carry mobile advertising identifiers: the Android Advertising ID and the Apple IDFA. On iOS these are available where the user permitted tracking.
Best practices
Section titled “Best practices”- Decide which events the SDK owns and which your server owns before you switch this on, rather than sending everything from both.
- Send mobile advertising identifiers where you have them. On app events they match more reliably than personal identifiers alone.
- Expect lower coverage on iOS, since events from users who declined tracking carry fewer identifiers.
- Rotate the access token before it expires and update the instance afterwards.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Section titled “Troubleshooting & FAQ”Validate Credentials fails. Re-check the Snap App ID and confirm the token was generated for that app and that the account has server-side API permission. Check too that at least one store App ID is filled in.
No events appearing in Events Manager. Confirm a source is connected in the same project and sending, and that the app is registered in Ads Manager.
The form will not submit. Snap App ID and Access Token are both mandatory, and you must supply an App ID for Android or iOS. Leaving both store fields blank blocks the setup.
Events double counted against the SDK. Both paths are reporting the same action with different event IDs. See Deduplication.
iOS events missing or unmatched. Users who declined tracking do not provide an advertising identifier, so those events match on personal identifiers alone or not at all.
Delivery stopped. The access token may have expired or been revoked. Generate a new one and update the instance.