Stop invalid installs in your affiliate CPI campaigns

Common indicators include unusually high install volumes from specific publishers that do not translate into downstream engagement or revenue, very short click-to-install times that fall outside normal user behavior distributions, install cohorts with near-zero retention rates after the initial session, and geographic concentrations that do not match your target market. Tapper monitors all of these signals continuously and surfaces invalid traffic patterns without requiring manual analysis.

MMPs provide a baseline level of invalid install protection focused on known device signals and click-to-install timing rules. Sophisticated operations, particularly device farms using real handsets and SDK spoofing attacks that replicate legitimate device signals, are designed to bypass MMP detection. Tapper adds a complementary layer of behavioral and statistical analysis that catches invalid traffic patterns MMPs are not designed to identify.

Fake installs corrupt your acquisition data at every level. Your reported CPI appears lower than your true cost of acquiring genuine users. Publisher rankings based on install volume favor invalid sources over legitimate partners who drive real, engaged users. Your retention metrics, LTV projections, and revenue forecasts are all built on inflated install numbers that do not correspond to real user behavior, leading to inaccurate business planning and misallocated budget.

Yes. Tapper's traffic analysis operates at the individual install level and provides attribution of invalid installs across publisher and sub-publisher hierarchies. If a dishonest sub-publisher is operating beneath a legitimate publisher account, Tapper surfaces the invalid installs at the sub-publisher level so your program management team can take targeted action without penalizing the broader publisher relationship.

Each flagged install includes a detailed evidence report covering the specific signals that triggered the decision: device fingerprint analysis, click-to-install timing data, session behavior scores, post-install event sequence analysis, and comparison against known SDK spoofing or device farm patterns. This evidence supports commission rejection before payout and can be submitted to your affiliate network as documentation for publisher suspension or removal.

Yes. Emulator-based fake installs generate distinctive device fingerprint characteristics and session behavior patterns that differ from genuine physical devices. Tapper's device analysis identifies emulator signals including inconsistencies in sensor data, screen resolution patterns, and hardware identifier anomalies that real devices do not produce. These signals are combined with behavioral analysis to identify emulator-based installs even when individual data points appear plausible.