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Alternative App Stores and OEM Channels: The New Growth Engine for Android in 2025

The Android app economy is entering a new phase. According to recent analyses from Business of Apps and AppsFlyer, alternative app stores and OEM advertising channels now account for a significant share of Android installs and app-store spending. With platforms like Huawei’s AppGallery, Xiaomi’s GetApps, and Samsung’s Galaxy Store scaling rapidly, OEM ecosystems are no longer niche distribution options, they have become a strategic pillar of mobile user acquisition in 2025. A Market Redefined by Alternative Distribution Business of Apps reports that nearly half of Android app-store expenditure now takes place outside of Google Play. This marks a structural shift in mobile app distribution, one driven by device manufacturers investing heavily in their own digital ecosystems. At the same time, AppsFlyer’s global Performance Index ranks four OEM sources among the top twelve media platforms for Android user acquisition (non-gaming), confirming that on-device and OEM-driven traffic has achieved mainstream adoption among marketers. These channels are particularly strong in markets where Android dominates and where OEMs maintain deep relationships with users through preloaded stores and native recommendation systems. The strategic rationale is clear: while competition and privacy changes have pushed up acquisition costs in traditional networks, OEM inventory offers direct, high-intent access to users at the device level, often during setup or app discovery moments when engagement is highest. Scale and Economics: The Power of OEM Ecosystems The scale of today’s OEM ecosystems underscores their growing importance: Together, these platforms form a robust, diversified layer of Android app distribution. They enable brands to complement Google Play with additional placements, custom campaigns, and integrated on-device advertising, from app-store features to pre-install and device setup recommendations. This economic appeal is reinforced by performance. OEM channels often deliver lower CPI and higher retention due to contextual relevance and lower competition. For developers and advertisers, these results position OEM traffic as both efficient and scalable, an essential addition to the user acquisition mix. Regulatory Tailwinds: A More Open Android Ecosystem Regulatory developments are accelerating this transformation.In the United States, court rulings in Epic Games v. Google are forcing Google to open Android distribution, mandating support for rival app stores within Google Play, access to its app catalog, and allowance for alternative billing options. These reforms are designed to reduce platform exclusivity and expand fair competition in mobile distribution. As a result, OEM marketplaces are gaining both legitimacy and opportunity. With fewer structural barriers, brands and developers can now integrate these channels more easily; building direct, transparent relationships with users without the constraints of a single app-store ecosystem. Industry analysts suggest that, as Android maintains a global OS share of over 70%, alternative app stores could capture an even larger portion of total installs by 2026, especially in Asia-Pacific, MENA, and Eastern Europe, where OEM ecosystems already play a dominant role. The Future of Android User Acquisition For mobile marketers and developers, 2025 marks a turning point: OEM traffic and alternative app stores are now central to sustainable growth.They provide reach where Google Play is limited or highly competitive, they deliver measurable performance advantages, and they align with a more privacy-safe, device-centric future. As platforms like AppGallery, GetApps, and Galaxy Store continue to scale, brands that diversify into these ecosystems stand to gain access to billions of potential users through trusted, native interfaces. In a year defined by rising acquisition costs and tighter data restrictions, one insight is becoming clear: the next wave of Android growth will not be confined to a single store, it will be built across OEM ecosystems that combine reach, intent, and efficiency.

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Inside China’s OEM Ad Market: Who Leads the Agency Game in 2025

As OEM advertising becomes a vital user acquisition channel in China, a handful of certified agencies have emerged as key enablers of performance at scale. Backed by Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and vivo, these firms are shaping the way brands activate high-intent traffic across native smartphone ecosystems. In 2025, OEM advertising in China is no longer a fringe tactic, it’s a strategic growth engine. As brands seek direct access to users via native smartphone environments (minus-one screens, preloads, app stores, push placements), working with certified, performance-driven agencies is now essential. From Huawei’s Petal Ads to Xiaomi’s Mi Ads and OPPO’s HeyTap platform, a small circle of high-performing agencies have become the go-to partners for brands aiming to scale efficiently in China and beyond. Top OEM Advertising Agencies in China (2025): 1. BlueFocus Luban BlueFocus’s digital ad unit, Luban, ranks as the top agency for OEM advertising in 2025. Officially recognized as the #1 Xiaomi Mi Ads partner and a high-performing Petal Ads agency, Luban delivers 11–17% better ROI than industry peers. Its AI-powered platform simplifies creative management, media buying, and KPI optimization across multiple OEM environments. With direct integration into Xiaomi and Huawei ad stacks, Luban is a go-to partner for brands launching large-scale mobile, e-commerce, and app campaigns. 2. Nativex (Mobvista Group) Guangzhou-based Nativex is a certified Huawei Petal Ads Premier Partner, and was awarded Huawei’s “Outstanding Partner” status at HDC 2024. It also collaborates closely with OPPO and Xiaomi to execute high-performance OEM campaigns in China and Southeast Asia. Nativex combines strategic UA planning, creative localization, and multi-regional delivery, making it a reliable agency for brands scaling across Android OEM traffic in Asia. 3. Tec-Do Few agencies have secured official partnerships across all major OEMs—Tec-Do is one of them. It holds the status of Xiaomi outbound certified core agency, Petal Ads Platinum Partner, and global preferred partner for vivo Ads. Tec-Do was also awarded “Best Optimizer” by Huawei in 2024, demonstrating campaign quality and scale. Its end-to-end OEM execution supports both Chinese brands expanding globally and international clients entering Asian markets. 4. YeahmobiYeahmobi brings a performance-marketing mindset to OEM media. Ranked among the top 5 Petal Ads agencies, it specializes in CPI- and CPA-based campaign models. With a strong focus on metrics like registrations, in-app events, and ROAS, Yeahmobi is especially effective in OEM acquisition across APAC and the Middle East. Its team’s ability to optimize across diverse OEM supply sources has made it a frequent partner for fintech, gaming, and utility app advertisers. 5. AdView (力美科技) AdView is a long-standing mobile marketing agency in China with deep integrations into OEM inventory across Xiaomi, Huawei, and others. Known for its smart media buying infrastructure and programmatic capabilities, AdView has helped brands scale within native placements through real-time optimization and full-funnel data reporting. What Makes These Agencies Stand Out? Each of these agencies has earned formal recognition or certification from OEM platforms ensuring direct access to inventory, deeper analytics integrations, and faster rollout of beta features. Huawei, Xiaomi, and vivo each maintain vetted partner programs, and these five agencies are repeatedly ranked among their top performers. What truly differentiates them is execution. Whether it’s Luban’s AI-led platform performance, Nativex’s creative and localized activation, or Tec-Do’s multi-OEM footprint, these firms bring proven models for high-ROI campaigns inside the OEM ecosystem. Why This Matters for Brands OEM advertising now accounts for a significant share of mobile performance budgets particularly in Asia. As consumer touchpoints shift from browser and app-based discovery to native surfaces within smartphones, OEM ad placements are essential to reaching the right users at the right moments. For brands, the takeaway is clear: work with certified, performance-led partners. The agencies above aren’t just media buyers. They’re optimization engines that translate OEM media into scale, retention, and results.

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The Global Ad Tech Reckoning: How Antitrust Actions Against Google Are Reshaping the Industry

In 2025, regulators across the globe are taking decisive action against Google’s dominance in the ad tech ecosystem. With multibillion-euro fines, court rulings, and mounting pressure for structural remedies, the future of digital advertising is entering a new regulatory era. As a brand operating in this space, we’re closely watching what comes next and preparing for a more open, accountable market. As we assess performance marketing opportunities across channels and ecosystems, one story continues to shape the future of digital advertising: the global antitrust offensive against Google’s ad tech stack. In April 2025, a federal court in the U.S. found that Google violated antitrust laws by unlawfully maintaining monopolies in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets. The Department of Justice (DOJ), alongside 17 states, argued and the court agreed, that Google’s control over both the buy-side and sell-side of programmatic advertising gave it an unfair advantage. The trial’s second phase will now determine potential remedies, including the DOJ’s request to force Google to divest key components like AdX and Google Ad Manager. In parallel, the European Commission delivered its final decision in September 2025, fining Google €2.95 billion (~$3.45 billion) for favoring its own ad exchange and restricting competition across the ad supply chain. Regulators concluded that Google systematically gave its own platforms advantages through self-preferencing and data asymmetries, to the detriment of publishers, advertisers, and competing exchanges. The EU is demanding corrective behavioral changes within 90 days, and has warned that structural remedies, including the breakup of Google’s ad tech business, remain on the table if compliance fails. Meanwhile, in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued provisional findings that echo these concerns, finding Google has used its integrated ad stack to harm competition. Private publisher lawsuits in the UK have been greenlit to seek damages for lost ad revenues, and India’s competition watchdog is actively pursuing its own ad tech probe. Together, these developments mark a pivotal moment for the global ad ecosystem. Why This Matters to Us as a Brand For years, the ad tech market has operated within a system where Google served as gatekeeper: owning the tools advertisers use to buy, the exchange where bids are placed, and the infrastructure publishers rely on to sell. This vertical integration created efficiency, but also opacity and potential conflicts of interest. We’ve long adapted to this reality. But with regulatory enforcement accelerating, the landscape may soon open to new opportunities and greater transparency. If structural separation proceeds – especially in the U.S. and EU – it could lead to: As a performance-driven advertiser, we welcome a more balanced ecosystem where data flows more freely and competition is restored. This means more power in the hands of brands and publishers, and more scrutiny on how every ad dollar is spent and optimized. The Road Ahead We’re not here to speculate on the legal process. But the message from global regulators is unified: Google’s dominance in ad tech must be re-evaluated. From the DOJ and European Commission to the CMA and CCI, the call is clear: restore fairness, ensure interoperability, and reduce systemic bias baked into ad infrastructure. As these cases move through final remedies and appeals, we’re preparing for a more interoperable, transparent, and performance-aligned digital advertising environment. That’s good for competition and good for business.

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Why Consumer Spending on Mobile Apps Hit $150B in 2024: A Brand’s Take on Sensor Tower’s Latest Findings

As mobile usage deepens across global markets, spending habits are shifting users are investing more money even when they install fewer apps. Our brand closely tracks these trends, and Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 reveals that consumer spending on in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium apps hit $150 billion in 2024, a 13 % year-over-year increase marking a pivotal moment in mobile monetization. Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 report delivers a clear message: mobile monetization continues to strengthen even as growth in downloads and time spent decelerates. Downloads across iOS and Google Play were essentially flat at 136 billion, and total hours spent rose to 4.2 trillion (+5.8% YoY). Yet despite this moderation in engagement growth, consumer spending surged.  What’s powering this disconnect between usage and spending? The answer lies in non-gaming apps, subscription models, and emerging verticals like AI. Non-games saw a +23% YoY increase in revenue, far outpacing the +4% rebound in gaming. Within non-games, film & TV streaming and social media led the charge with $11.9 billion and $11.7 billion in spend, respectively. Perhaps most striking is the rise of AI-powered apps. Spending in this subgenre soared to nearly $1.1 billion, a 200% YoY increase. Users spent ~7.7 billion hours in AI apps, and “AI” apps were downloaded 17 billion times. These shifts reflect a deeper trend: users now expect intelligence, utility, and integration from the apps they pay for. Regionally, the U.S. remained the dominant spender with $52 billion in IAP revenue, growing by 16%. Europe outpaced global averages, posting ~24% growth in app spending. But it’s not just the usual markets driving momentum Sensor Tower flags retail as a competitive battleground, with global brands like Temu and SHEIN pushing into mobile commerce and influencing app spend trends. For us as a brand, these insights reshape our priorities. The growth isn’t coming from acquiring more users that game is saturated. The real upside lies in monetization, retention, and strategic vertical plays. Investing in subscription models, AI features, and vertical monetization (e.g. streaming, social, commerce) offers more upside than chasing downloads alone. Moreover, experimenting with premium tiers, hybrid models (freemium + paid), and personalized upsells becomes vital. As the mobile landscape matures, so must our approach. The numbers from Sensor Tower reinforce what many of us already sense: the war for attention hasn’t ended, but the battlefield has shifted. Brands that lean into monetization, not just user growth will emerge as winners in 2025 and beyond.

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Digital ad spending is surging – retail media leads the charge in 2025

Nowadays global digital advertising is on track to cross $750 billion, and nowhere is the growth more pronounced than in retail media, which is expected to claim more than one-fifth of all digital ad spend. As brands shift to performance-driven channels, retail media is reshaping the ad ecosystem worldwide. Digital advertising is continuing its steady ascent. Forecasts suggest that in 2025, digital ad spending will exceed $750 billion, accounting for over 75% of total media ad spending. The shift toward digital is no longer incremental; it’s now foundational to marketing strategies across industries. At the center of this growth is retail media, where advertisers are increasingly allocating budgets inside retailer-owned channels. According to eMarketer, global retail media ad spending is projected at $169 billion in 2025, up 15.6 % year-over-year. More conservatively, some forecasts pin 2025 retail media spend closer to $165.9 billion, driven by continued double-digit growth. Retail media’s growth is not just about raw numbers, its share of total digital ad budgets is expanding. eMarketer expects retail media will represent 21.9% of all digital ad spending in 2025.  Retail media is evolving rapidly. One notable trend is the rapid expansion of off-site retail media, which eMarketer forecasts will grow 42.1% in 2025, nearly three times faster than on-site spend. Connected TV (CTV) retail media is also gaining traction: eMarketer expects a 43.1% increase in retail CTV spending in 2025. In the U.S., retail media ad spend is expected to exceed $62 billion, adding over $10 billion from the prior year.  Retail media’s expansion is heavily driven by structural advantages: access to first-party shopper data, closed-loop attribution, and inherent proximity to purchase behavior. As a result, advertisers see retail media as one of the fastest-growing and more measurable channels available.  Yet, this rising tide is not without complexity. Growth rates for retail media are beginning to decelerate. eMarketer’s Retail Media Forecast Update H1 2025 warns of slowing year-over-year gains, even as retail media’s slice of the digital pie grows. Fragmentation is also a persistent challenge: each retailer often operates its own systems, making scaling and measurement across networks more difficult.  Another structural issue is geographical concentration. China and the U.S. are forecasted to account for around 80.9% of retail media ad spend in 2025. Outside these giants, markets in the U.K., Germany, Canada, and select Asian and Latin American regions are seeing faster relative growth, though from a smaller base. Major platforms also dominate the landscape: Amazon continues to lead in many markets, but other retail media networks (RMNs) are gaining an increasing share outside of the U.S.  Looking ahead, forecasts paint a bold trajectory. Retail media is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2% between 2024 and 2028 (per eMarketer), and some estimates push global retail media spend to $179.5 billion in 2025, making up 23% of total digital ad spend. By 2029, some project retail media could exceed $368 billion, with non-retail entities entering the fray.  The rise of retail media presents a strategic pivot point. Brands must navigate channel fragmentation, develop cross-RMN measurement frameworks, and optimize for both on-site and off-site placements. For retailers, the incentive lies in monetizing their audiences and building value beyond pure commerce. As traditional display and search channels face saturation, retail media’s expansion shows how ad dollars continue to chase performance, data, and proximity to purchase. In 2025, the digital ad landscape is not just growing, it’s realigning. Retail media is no longer a niche investment; it is now a core battlefield in the war for attention and consumer spend.

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The advertiser’s Guide to On-Device Buying: OEMAD and Top OEM aggregators you should know

“On-device” inventory – preloads, setup flows (OOBE), OEM app stores, native system placements, and lock-screen experiences, lets brands meet Android users when they’re already primed to install or act. The good news for advertisers is you don’t need dozens of one-off OEM deals anymore. A new crop of aggregators packages this supply with optimization, measurement, and brand-safety guardrails. Below is a practical buyer’s guide that puts OEMAD alongside other major routes: Digital Turbine, Unity Aura, Moloco, Xiaomi, Huawei Petal Ads, Glance (InMobi), plus multi-OEM specialists like AVOW and Appnext and shows how to fold them into your 2025–26 media plan. Why on-device is surging, and why aggregators matter OEM rails capture store-level intent: users are installing apps during unboxing or browsing an OEM store, which shortens the path impression –  install – first open and typically improves early retention versus generic in-app display. The ecosystem has matured: Digital Turbine’s latest quarter showed revenue up 11% YoY with On-Device Solutions the growth engine, a public signal that supply and demand are both scaling. Unity’s Aura product markets integration on 2B+ devices and ~450M MAU, bringing OOBE and lifecycle touchpoints under one roof. Aggregators turn these rails into a single buying workflow with predictable pacing, billing, and measurement. The main aggregator routes (and what each is best for) OEMAD (orchestration layer) Use OEMAD as your central switchboard: one brief, harmonized naming/UTMs, and unified post-install event schema across OEM partners. OEMAD’s role is to standardize value-based objectives (CPE/CPO/D7 ROAS), normalize attribution windows with your MMP, and automate creative/placement hygiene (frequency, deep-link consistency). (Internal orchestration description; pair with the routes below for supply.) Digital Turbine (preloads, setup, discovery) Digital Turbine aggregates preloads, app selection during setup, and OEM/carrier discovery moments—great for utilities, fintech onboarding, and casual titles where first value happens fast. Use CPE/CPO or D7 ROAS and compare country-level revenue-per-device as you scale. Public prints (Q1 FY26) confirm momentum and improving profitability, useful as a proxy for stable, investable supply. Unity Aura (device-lifecycle touchpoints via telco/OEM partners) Aura from Unity reaches users at “hello” (unboxing) and through lifecycle prompts, positioned to drive installs, cross-sell, and re-engagement. Unity cites 2B+ integrated devices, ~450M MAU, and positioning around peak install intent in the first 48 hours post-setup—ideal for value-based buying when you want intent moments without stitching carrier/OEM contracts yourself. Moloco ↔ Xiaomi (programmatic access to GetApps, system native, lock screen) In June 2025, Moloco and Xiaomi announced a global partnership: programmatic access to GetApps (Xiaomi’s overseas app store), in-app/native, and lock-screen inventory. Treat GetApps like a conversion-optimized landing path and keep routing consistent—Xiaomi’s manual lets you choose the install channel: GetApps or Google Play, which helps reduce drop-off by matching user preference. Start with PMPs for control, then open to oRTB once ROAS stabilizes. Huawei Petal Ads (AppGallery search + display and wider Huawei surfaces) Petal Ads offers searchable AppGallery placements (plus broader Huawei ecosystem inventory). If you’re consolidating OEM buys, you can run Petal direct or route it through partners in your stack; either way, align creative to store intent and map SKUs to localized product pages. Glance (InMobi) lock-screen feed Glance packages a high-reach, native lock-screen surface built with leading Android OEMs—an app-less moment before unlock. Use simple, visual hooks and deep links that “resume task” on open; Glance supports performance objectives and brand KPIs, with day-parting and frequency controls. Multi-OEM specialists: AVOW and Appnext AVOW aggregates alternative app stores and OEM placements across regions (they cite 1.5B+ monthly active users across OEM platforms), useful if you want managed service across multiple vendors. Appnext publishes OEM playbooks and runs discovery experiences across several ecosystems—handy for pairing ASO-style store work with paid bursts. Buying strategy: turn “OEM” into a value-based lane, not a one-off test Start with two Tier-1 markets per OEM (e.g., India/SEA for Xiaomi; MENA/EU pockets for Huawei) and launch three lines: setup/preload aggregator (Digital Turbine or Aura), OEM store/programmatic (Moloco↔Xiaomi or Petal Ads), and lock-screen (Glance). Standardize creative on “promise → payoff in one tap” and deep-link the first open to the advertised task (scan, book, play, KYC). For Xiaomi, pick the promotion channel (GetApps vs Play) that best matches your user base and measurement plan. Let OEMAD orchestrate pacing, frequency, and naming so downstream reporting stays comparable. Measure like a realist: send post-install events (first open, onboarding complete, purchase/KYC, level complete) to your MMP and the buying platform so algorithms can optimize to CPE/CPO/D7 ROAS instead of CPI. Normalize attribution windows across SRNs, DSPs, and OEM channels; expect some timing deltas by partner. Keep geo/PSA holdouts to prove incrementality—OEM store paths often show lower uninstall and stronger D1/D7, but you should validate in your own data. Creative and landing rules that reliably lift ROAS Mirror store/system UI in ad design to reduce cognitive friction; use five-to-ten-second demos and outcome-first copy (“Scan a document in 3 seconds,” “Open an account in minutes”). Maintain strict frequency on lock-screen and system surfaces. For store placements, treat product pages like conversion landers with localized titles, short descriptions, and updated screenshots; pair paid bursts with store featuring programs where available to compound rank. Xiaomi’s buyer docs explicitly support store-specific routing, which helps keep the journey consistent. Bottom line On-device media has graduated from “experimental” to strategic. With Digital Turbine and Unity Aura for setup-and-lifecycle intent, Moloco↔Xiaomi and Petal Ads for store-level demand, Glance for lock-screen reach, and AVOW/Appnext for multi-OEM coverage, advertisers can now buy OEM surfaces the same way they buy any scaled channel: value-based, measurable, and brand-safe. Put OEMAD in the middle as your orchestration layer, standardize events and windows, and hold every line to incremental CPO and D7 ROAS. The reward is exactly what on-device is known for: shorter paths to value, stronger early retention, and steadier unit economics across Android growth.

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OEM Advertising as a Hedge Against Saturated Channels: Why OEMAD & Major Aggregators Matter

As CPIs climb, auctions tighten, and performance signals blur across major channels, many app marketers are turning to OEM advertising to diversify risk. On-device inventory preloads, setup flows (OOBE), OEM app store placements, native system surfaces, lock-screen experiences; provides earlier, higher-intent touchpoints. Tools like OEMAD, Digital Turbine, Unity Aura, Moloco↔Xiaomi, Huawei’s Petal Ads, Glance, AVOW, and Appnext are making OEM traffic easier to buy, measure, and scale in 2025-26. Why OEM Advertising Offers a Real Hedge OEM sources reach users at natural, high-engagement moments: setting up a new device, browsing built-in app stores, or interacting with system surfaces. Because the user is already “closer” to installing or opening an app, the path from impression → install → first open tends to be shorter and cleaner, often improving early retention compared to generic feed-based display. OEMAD reports that all their traffic comes from real device environments across Xiaomi, Transsion, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, and Samsung. Their machine-learning platform optimizes in real time for in-app events, ensuring advertisers aren’t just paying for installs but for quality engagement.  Supply is growing. Digital Turbine’s latest calculations show “On-Device Solutions” (preloads, setup discovery) as a major growth vertical. Unity Aura claims integration on over 2 billion devices. Moloco’s deal with Xiaomi actively opens up store-adjacent and lock-screen supply. OEMAD provides “one window” to access a broad set of OEM sources with event-based optimization. These trends together make OEM channels a credible hedge to saturation elsewhere. Spotlight on OEMAD: What Differentiates Them OEMAD is a specialized aggregator for OEM traffic. Key features that make them worth considering: Because of these, OEMAD can act both as a “first contact” solution like OEM store discovery, and as part of a performance mix where quality (retention, post-install events) matters, not just raw install volume. How to Mix OEMAD & Other Aggregators into a UA Strategy Here are tactical suggestions for using OEMAD alongside other OEM supply aggregators to hedge saturation: 1) Define value KPIs beyond CPI. Use KPIs like CPE (cost per engaged open), CPO (key in-app action), or D7 ROAS. OEMAD supports optimizing toward these event-based goals; similarly check that Digital Turbine, Unity Aura, etc., can feed post-install and engagement events. This helps avoid buying cheap installs that drop off. 2) Deploy multi-line campaigns. For each target geography, run parallel lines: Compare performance for each line (install, retention, payback) to see which works best per geo and vertical. 3) Monitor supply & price pressure. As OEM traffic becomes more popular, expect inventory in premium OEM placements or exclusives (OEMAD.UNIQUE etc.) to experience rising cost. That’s exactly why OEMAD’s real-time ML optimization helps maintain ROAS when costs move. Also keep an eye on CPMs/OCPMs across OEM vs feed channels to see where saturation starts impacting margins. 4) Measurement & transparency. 5) Creative & UX alignment. Creative that works in OEM contexts tends to be simpler, more trust-driven, outcome-oriented. For example, use native-style layouts, match store or system themes, deep-link to the promised “task” (registration, trial, purchase). OEMAD’s creatives often benefit from matching the OEM’s visual standards, users trust system surfaces more. Also consider localizing store metadata, screenshots, etc., especially for OEM stores or browse surfaces. Risks & Things to Watch OEM advertising is more than just a fallback; it’s a powerful hedge when traditional UA channels saturate. Aggregators like OEMAD bring real value, simplified operations, ML-powered optimization, source transparency, and scale across OEM ecosystems. When combined thoughtfully with other OEM supply sources (Digital Turbine, Unity Aura, Glance, etc.), OEM traffic can deliver shorter payback, higher retention, and improved margins. If your 2025 strategy leans heavily on social/search/display, adding OEM lines via OEMAD and peers isn’t optional, it’s essential for resilience and growth.

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DMA Choice Screen in the EEA: What UA Managers Must Change on Android in 2025

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) has made the Android “choice screen” a standard part of device setup across the European Economic Area. In practice, this means new Android phones and tablets distributed in the EEA must display search and (in most cases) browser choice screens during onboarding, forcing a user to actively pick their defaults. Google confirms that OEMs are required to incorporate the DMA choice-screen software into all new device releases in the EEA as of March 6, 2024; Pixels received it via update, with ongoing rollout across OEMs. What exactly changed Why this matters for UA (beyond compliance) A practical playbook for Q4 2025 The DMA choice screen isn’t just a legal checkbox it reshapes first-touch distribution on Android in the EEA. Treat “choice-originated” users as a separate storefront in your UA plan: tag them, benchmark them, and bid to intercept them with OEM and on-device media close to setup. Teams that adapt their measurement and OEM mix now will capture the most predictable CAC and faster payback from Europe’s next Android cohorts.

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MMP Benchmarks Are Carving Out OEM as a Distinct “Storefront” for UA in 2025

For years, mobile measurement partners (MMPs) lumped most paid traffic into a handful of giants and “other.” In 2025 that’s no longer accurate. OEM (on-device) channels preloads, setup-flow placements, OEM app stores, and lock-screen surfaces, now appear in MMP benchmarks and indices as their own, trackable sources, effectively operating like a separate storefront in your acquisition mix.  What changed? Why “separate storefront” status matters for UA A practical framework to use OEM benchmarks like a storefront 1) Instrument the taxonomy.Create a distinct “OEM” source group in your MMP and sub-label by surface (Preload/Setup Wizard, OEM Store, Lock-Screen). Ensure post-install events map to early value (trial start, add-to-cart, level-3) so your OEM CPI → tROAS view is comparable with in-app networks. (AppsFlyer’s index and benchmarks pages show how sources are compared by outcome quality, not just volume). 2) Build an OEM vs. In-App scorecard.For each geo/OS, track CPI, IPM, D1/D7 retention, CPT (cost per trial), and 30-day payback. Expect OEM to deliver earlier, cheaper first opens in Android-heavy markets, while in-app networks may win on deep value in premium iOS geos. Use MMP cohort exports to visualize value-density D0–D7 by source. Industry guides in 2025 explicitly frame OEM as a cost-controlled, fraud-resistant lever; test that claim against your own metrics.  3) Run incrementality by path.Structure tests per OEM path: (a) Preload, (b) OEM store featuring, (c) Lock-screen units. Hold out geo-slices or device SKUs to estimate net new users vs. cannibalization of in-app campaigns. Practitioner advice this summer: benchmark OEM reach and engagement against Google/Meta to win internal buy-in.  4) Standardize vendor checks.Adopt a lightweight RFP for OEM partners: reporting transparency, unique device coverage, brand safety, and MMP compatibility (AppsFlyer/Adjust/Singular). The presence of OEMs in Performance/ROI indices simplifies this step use rankings as a short-list signal, then validate on your data.  What good looks like (targets to start with) In 2025, OEMs aren’t “alternative” anymore. MMP benchmarks and indices now surface OEM as a first-class media source, giving UA teams the same clarity on CPI, quality, and ROAS that they expect from in-app networks. Treat it as a separate storefront in your plan instrument the taxonomy, run path-level incrementality, and budget against OEM-specific ROAS. That’s how you convert on-device reach into predictable growth. 

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Play Integrity API in 2025: how to turn attestation into real ROAS

Google’s Play Integrity API has matured into a first-line growth control: it verifies that a request comes from your genuine app, installed by Google Play, on a genuine Android device — and it now ships with tighter setup paths, native (C/C++) hooks, and new remediation tools. Used well, it cuts fraud and incentive abuse without slowing real users, and it keeps your UA models trained on clean events.  What Integrity actually checks An integrity verdict returns device integrity tiers (Basic/Device/Strong, the latter being hardware-backed), app integrity (package, version, signing cert, installer), and Play Protect/licensing signals, bound to a short-lived, signed token. That lets you gate attribution, rewards, and purchases to trusted environments instead of paying out on emulator farms or tampered builds. What’s new in 2025 Setup has been streamlined from both sides: you can enable responses in Play Console (recommended) or via Google Cloud — useful for SDK providers and apps distributed outside Play. Google also introduced device recall (beta) at I/O 2025, plus native integration guides and APIs for C/C++ projects, so game teams can call Integrity from engine code without Java glue.On the workflow side, Google documents standard and classic request patterns, with explicit guidance on nonce hygiene, replay protection, and server verification to keep tokens fresh and unforgeable.  Finally, Google’s fraud-prevention playbook emphasizes Integrity as the centerpiece alongside access/accessibility risk, Play Protect, and recent device-activity signals — useful context for your risk scoring.  How high-performing teams deploy it Treat Integrity as real-time quality, not a one-time install check. Prepare the token provider at app launch, then request tokens only on high-value actions (reward claims, IAP confirms, wallet cash-outs) — or sample events by risk cohort to avoid latency spikes. Verify tokens server-side, enforce fresh nonces (2–3 minutes), and persist verdicts to power bid rules and anti-abuse automation.  In UA, require at least Device Integrity for paid attribution and bonus payouts; prefer Strong Integrity where the device base supports it. In rewarded flows, request a fresh token at claim time and queue, don’t hard-fail, on transient errors to protect revenue without punishing good users. For IAP, pair Integrity with Play Install Referrer timing checks and escalate if a device flips tiers in a short window. (Google’s docs explicitly recommend tiered enforcement and avoiding long-cached verdicts.)  Engineering notes that save weeks Where this fits with Privacy Sandbox and OEM inventory Integrity doesn’t replace attribution; it cleans the signal that feeds your models and payouts while Sandbox changes how you attribute. Because Integrity validates app + device rather than a cross-app ID, it complements Sandbox postbacks and keeps your CPI/CPA economics honest even as identifiers evolve. And since responses can be enabled via Google Cloud, SDK providers and mixed-distribution apps can standardize verification across diverse Android builds.  Bottom line In 2025, the win is simple: verify fewer moments, verify them better. Prepare early, attest on high-value actions, verify server-side with fresh nonces, and use the verdict tiers to tune payouts and privileges. Do that, and Play Integrity becomes an invisible growth feature, lower fraud, cleaner cohorts, steadier ROAS rather than just another SDK checklist.

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