Apple Apologies After Sharing Ad Spend Data With Wrong Developers

Just a day after some iOS developers said they received ad spend spend information of others, Apple on Wednesday acknowledged the mistake and stated that it was a processing error that caused the problem. In a note emailed to developers, the Cupertino-based company also revealed that all future performance reports will require developers to sign into their accounts to avoid repetition of the recent issue.

According to Twitter user Steve Troughton-Smith, who was among the affected developers, Apple's Search Ads Basic service sent developers emails with ad spend details of other developers. That flaw gave access to developers to see statistics of their competitors and leaked details such as installs, average cost-per-install (CPI), and ad spend figures related to their advertising spends on Apple's App Store. The incident eventually pushed Apple towards sending a follow-up email confirming the "processing error".

"Due to a processing error, the January monthly results email we sent to you contains incorrect app promotion information. Accurate performance information is always available in your Search Ads account. To ensure such an issue will not recur, all future performance communications will direct you to sign in to your account to view your Dashboard," Apple said in the email, as shared by developer Louis D'hauwe on Twitter.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this error has caused. We value your business and will work hard to make our new Basic service something you'll love," Apple added in the email.

Launched in December 2017, Search Ads Basic is aimed at helping young developers promote their apps on the App Store using ads in search results. Apple offers developers a pay-per-install ad model, where they incur costs only if a user installs the app from its search ad listing. This makes ad serving on the App Store more cost-effective than the traditional cost-per-impression model and enhances the visibility of apps that are yet to gain popularity on iOS platform. There are also features such as intelligent automation to maximise results with fewer efforts, quick-view dashboard to track ad performance.