Google ups the app ante, embraces iOS

By Lum Ka Kay May 20, 2016

Universal App Campaigns now available for iOS developers
Firebase Analytics to generate more app-related insights

GOOGLE Inc’s Universal App Campaigns (UAP) are expanding beyond Android and will be available for Apple Inc’s iOS platform, the company announced at its I/O developer conference.

Launched at last year’s Google I/O, UAP allows developers to run a campaign across Google Search, YouTube, Google Play store and Google Display Network (GDN).

UAP for iOS is immediately available in beta, and will roll out to all developers in stages beginning this summer, according to Google director of product management for mobile app advertising Sissie Hsiao (pic above).

UAP will also be extended to Gmail, she told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on May 19.

According to Hsiao, over the past year, the volume of app installs driven by ads has doubled, and to date, the company has delivered more than two billion downloads to developers.

“Now all app developers can tap into the simplicity and power of UAP to reach billions of Android and iOS users on YouTube, the Google Search app and GDN,” she said.

UAP also allows developers to target quality users who are most likely to take meaningful actions, whether it’s reaching a certain level in a game or purchasing an item, Hsiao claimed.

“Using machine learning algorithms, our models evaluate countless signals and unique insights into intent, and constantly learn and adjust – meaning every optimisation is based on the most relevant data.

“In addition, UAP will automate targeting and bidding to find your most valuable users based on your in-app conversions, as opposed to the current target CPI (cost per install) model.

“Just tell us the in-app events that are valuable to you and Google will do the rest,” she said.

Firebase Analytics

Google also introduced Firebase Analytics, its free analytics platform that is designed specifically for mobile apps.

Firebase is a backend-as-a-service startup that the company acquired 18 months ago.

According to Google’s developer product group senior product manager Francis Ma, Firebase’s user base has increased four times since being acquired by Google – it now has 450,000 app developers using its services.

“Firebase Analytics is an entirely new offering focused on the needs of apps, and benefits from our decade-long experience running Google Analytics,” he said.

“For app developers, one of the key things in addition to getting tools is about having the insights to help prioritise different actions, and to understand how users are using their apps and also where users are coming from.

“With Firebase Analytics, developers can ‘instrument’ specific parts of their apps with fine-grained events in order to track purchases made and other in-app actions,” he added.

App developers can also link their Firebase account to their Google AdWords account, meaning developers can funnel conversions into AdWords so that it is even easier to optimise campaigns, claimed Ma.

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