What is an app reinstall?
A reinstall, also known as a re-download, occurs when a user installs an app, deletes it, and then installs it again. Typically, a reinstall from a paid source would be referred to as a reattribution, while those from organic would be referred to as a reinstall.
This process is common across all app categories. Measurement of reinstalls provides mobile app marketers and developers with valuable insights into the points in the user journey which lead to churn, which value-adding features encourage users to return, as well as re-engageement campaign performance.
Common reasons users reinstall deleted apps
Most app reinstalls take place following a successful retargeting campaign. Just like installs from paid and organic behave differently, so do reinstalls. Either way, there are common reasons why users reinstall apps, whether they’re motivated on the organic side, or given the push by a campaign that taps into one of the following drivers:
- Seasonal or event-driven apps or promotions that are relevant during specific times.
- User regret or accidental uninstallation.
- Updates and improvements that enhance app functionality.
- Switching devices and needing to reinstall favorite apps.
For example, a user who had completed primary gameplay might wish to reinstall a gaming app once new levels are added. Or, a shopping app user may have found price points too high, so offering a discount could be just the thing to entice them to return.
Why is it important to measure your app’s reinstalls?
App reinstalls are a critical metric in mobile app marketing and app store optimization (ASO). After all, retention campaigns are proven to be more cost-effective than user acquisition (UA) campaigns. So it’s important to understand why users leave in the first place (known as churn), and how to win them back.
When a user reinstalls an app, it indicates continued or renewed interest in the app's features or content. Analyzing reinstalls helps developers and marketers understand how to better retain users or win them back. On the paid side, if re-engagement or retargeting campaigns are being run, it’s essential to differentiate between completely new and returning users to measure performance effectively.
Benefits of analyzing reinstalls
*For example, let’s say reinstall analytics reveals that a gaming app user reinstalls the app every time new levels are added. The app’s marketing team improves communication of the app’s metagaming elements at the level-completion stage. This allows the user (and others who exhibit similar engagement patterns) to play while they wait for new levels, which keeps them engaged more frequently and for longer (a.k.a. stickier!).
Measuring reinstalls with Adjust
To measure reinstalls, we must first measure uninstalls. This is done by assigning each user a unique push token when they install your app. This unique token is used to send daily silent push notifications to check if the app is still installed. Once the push notification returns information that the app has been uninstalled, Adjust reports the last active session as the uninstall date.
)
From there, Adjust treats reinstalls as sessions. A user is reattributed when a reinstall meets the specific criteria. By default, these criteria are set to a seven-day inactivity period and a seven-day reattribution window. However, you can customize this either for your app as a whole or by using specific link-level reattribution when running re-engagement campaigns.
)
To see your reinstall data in the Adjust dashboard, go to Datascape > Dashboards > Overview. Select ‘reinstalls’ within the KPIs widget and edit dimensions as needed. You can also filter your cohort analysis through the reinstall metric by accessing Datascape > Dashboards > Cohorts.
Ready to start piecing together the bigger picture of your app’s analytics? Request a bespoke demo to see how this metric will enrich your team’s insights.
Never miss a resource. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Keep reading
