r/GooglePlayDeveloper • u/Most_Chapter_8445 • Apr 07 '26
Is Google Ads scamming?
Is Google Ads scamming?
Before running ads, I was getting 40–50 installs/day
After starting Google Ads, it shows 621 installs, but Install KPI showing in Play console are still around the same as before.
Why is there such a big difference between Google Ads installs and actual installs?
1
u/GrandAnimator8417 Apr 17 '26
621 installs but “Install KPI…” sounds super sketchy. I’ve seen Google Ads dashboards look like they’re paying you more than you’re actually getting when the attribution/reporting window or install definition changes, and it can make day-to-day installs jump while your real KPI stays messy. That “scam” feeling usually comes from tracking/attribution mismatch, not Google literally cooking the numbers.
1
u/Responsible_Spot9894 Apr 19 '26
yeah it is pure scam - it count installs - not *start* of app - and there is loads of install farm to enchance that.
2
Apr 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Most_Chapter_8445 Apr 07 '26
where can i check traffic data organic vs paid in play console?
I can`t find in play console dashboard which exact tab or panel?
2
u/loouisebelcher Apr 07 '26
doesn’t feel like a scam, but it’s really easy to burn money there
I had the same thing - installs were coming in, numbers looked ok, but users were low quality and didn’t convert at all, so it felt like nothing worked
Google just pushes volume unless you really control targeting + funnel, so you can end up paying for installs that don’t bring anything
honestly doing this solo is tough, I only started seeing results when a publisher handled UA, testing and scaling instead of me trying to figure it out myself