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For 99.9% of apps, mobile user acquisition is the foundation of app growth. Scaling mobile user acquisition is critical for all but the most viral of apps.
But in 2025, the rules are changing.
- Yes, there’s privacy still
- Yes, media costs continue to rise (the good news for app publishers who monetize via ads is that CPMs are going up too)
- And yes, there’s challenges in making great creative and driving profitability
But cash isn’t (nearly) free anymore, and marketers can’t just spend their way to growth like it’s 2022.
To scale efficiently, you’ll need smarter mobile user acquisition strategies that include diversification, AI-powered everything (including you), first-party data, creative intelligence, and an acceptance (however reluctant) that the ecosystem is fragmented and will change dramatically every few months.
Key takeaways
- Scaling UA in 2025 demands smarter strategies, not just bigger budgets.
- AI, creative optimization, and diversified channels are your edge.
- Better data is back—combine it to navigate the fragmented ecosystem.
- Retention drives sustainable growth; acquisition alone won’t cut it.
Data and the state of mobile user acquisition in 2025
UA runs on data. Always has, always will.
Good data drives optimization and growth; bad data — or unavailable data — results in confusion, chaos, and ultimately stasis. You can’t invest if you don’t know what’s working.
That said, marketing measurement data is getting better, bigtime, in 2025. Which is a big statement, given that IDFAs are still rare thanks to ATT, and SKAN hasn’t really delivered on its promises.
The improvement is coming from other sources.
SKAN and Privacy Sandbox are still around, but we’re getting more and more data from ad networks big and small in 2025.
- Google’s Integrated Conversion Management is bringing on-device data to bear in marketing measurement
- On Meta, AMM is back, baby … Advanced Mobile Measurement offers much more granular data on acquisition, offering better ROAS modeling, cohort analysis, and creative optimization (plus Meta also offers Advanced AEM for more measurement richness)
- TikTok has Advanced SAN
Snap has its own version of Advanced SAN - And all the other non-SAN networks offer probabilistic measurement solutions that are good enough for attribution and optimization, and are working on modeling solutions too
Meanwhile, first-party data is still great. Zero-party data is useful. SKAN data can complete a picture. If Privacy Sandbox ever happens, it’ll fit in somewhere too.
With all of this extra data, it’s potentially a golden age of marketing measurement.
Scaling mobile user acquisition may not be as simple as it used to be, though.
Without IDFAs on iOS, post-truth marketing measurement is about triangulation and bread crumbs rather than rock-solid certainties derived from a single datapoint. But marketing measurement is FAR better now than in the first few years after iOS 14.5, and maybe — just maybe — better than ever.
And on Android, of course, we still have GAIDs, plus referrers.
Scaling mobile user acquisition in 2025
If all of that is true, maybe that’s 1 reason why mobile ad spend is on track to hit $362 billion globally this year, according to recent projections.
That sounds good, but all those billions of dollars drive trillions of ads, and that’s a lot of noise. Our already super-competitive market is now hyper-competitive.
So what’s your playbook for scaling mobile user acquisition in 2025?
- Adapt to post-truth marketing measurement
One of the biggest adjustments for marketers in 2025 is adapting to the new measurement reality. When SKAN tells you 1 thing, Meta another, and your internal app data yet another, Singular’s Unified Measurement brings them all together. - Enlist AI to scale YOU
Money is scalable. Machines are scalable. Data is scalable. Your biggest challenge in 2025 is scaling you: your attention, your analysis, your knowledge, your abilities. And that takes AI. Start with Creative IQ from Singular for creative optimization. Add our ability to connect your data with LLMs to ask natural language questions of your data so you both see and understand more. And use all the other tools that make sense … your competitors certainly are. - Diversify to lower CAC and boost ROI
Often you need to KISS, keep it simple stupid. Sure. But scaling mobile user acquisition requires using an MMP to KISS many frogs, because scaling ad partners is key to boosting ROI, reducing CPI, and earning higher retention rates. We have the data; we can show you the receipts. We’re seeing almost a 3X jump in ROI from those using 5 or fewer ad networks to those using 6 or more. - Understand and use incrementality
I’m not talking big fancy studies. Nor am I talking about insane levels of analysis or special tools. But check if adding an ad partner is helping you to fish in OTHER streams, not just dropping yet another fishing pole in the same stream. There are simple ways to do so, as Jonathan Reich, the CEO of an app publisher with 750 million app installs, recently told me.
Of course, as you do all this scaling and work, don’t forget about the Pareto Principle: 80% of your results will still come from 20% of your efforts.
Of course … growth isn’t just about acquisition
UA costs are going up. I’m working on Singular’s next Quarterly Trends Report right now, and CPIs are up steeply in some cases.
That means mobile user acquisition strategy isn’t just about acquisition.
Don’t be so focused on UA you forget about UX, value, engagement, and ongoing product development to boost retention.
Retention is as important if not more important than acquisition.
Don’t underestimate its critical importance. When you keep a high percentage of your existing users, you spend less time and energy fighting to fill a leaky bucket at the top. High retention means you can be profitable, even at a high CAC. Of course this is an ongoing strategy, not a quick fix, but every bit you’re able to improve retention and engage users results in huge gains in LTV, ROAS, and ultimately break-even.
This all supports a broader shift in mindset.
In 2025, mobile user acquisition is about more than the number of installs.
It’s quality, it’s onboarding success, engagement, and the full lifecycle including hybrid monetization with in-app purchases, subscriptions, and ad monetization.
And yeah … creative matters in mobile user acquisition
As you know …
Creative remains one of the most important levers for performance.
Creative can’t be underestimated, even as marketing teams are asked to do more and more with less. It’s the single most important factor (and yes, there are more.)
What are the elements of an ad that contribute to success, according to Mckinsey?
- Targeting: 9%
- Deliverability/viewability: 22%
- Creative: 49%
Spend time where you need to to build great campaigns. But don’t neglect creative.
Because when you find a 10X creative … a unicorn creative … you change your mobile user acquisition picture. 10X creatives allow you to scale profitably, when you’re doubling your profitability goals at low volumes.
Can’t find the unicorn creative?
Keep looking.
Until you do, it’s incredibly hard to scale ad spend profitably. And if you can’t scale ad spend profitably, you can’t grow sustainably.
Need some insider tips on creative? Singular’s newest Creative Optimization Guide will be a valuable resource.
Final thoughts
Scaling mobile user acquisition in 2025 means adapting to a world where privacy and performance coexist.
You and your team need to blend automation and AI with creative strategy and data fluency. Success today requires a shift from volume to value, with a focus on acquiring the right users, nurturing them, and driving long-term engagement.
If you’re looking to scale efficiently and effectively, talk to us to see how the top app marketers are doing it.
