100,000 apps have Adjust's SDK embedded. Adjust was bought by AppLovin — an advertising company worth $100 billion. The "neutral" analytics tool is now owned by the ad company. Every app with Adjust inside is feeding data to a $100 billion ad machine. The developers who installed it for measurement are now powering a competitor's ad targeting.
What they claim: Adjust describes its SDK as helping developers understand which ads drive app installs
What we found: Adjust's SDK is embedded in over 100,000 apps, tracking user behaviour across app installs, in-app events, purchases, and engagement. Adjust was acquired by AppLovin — an advertising company — for $1 billion in 2021. The analytics SDK that developers trusted for neutral measurement is now owned by an ad company that competes with the platforms it measures. AppLovin's market cap reached $100 billion, largely built on data flowing through embedded SDKs.