Market (Mobile)·Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Moloco
Core games experienced a 78% surge in iOS CPI following the iOS 14.6 release, driven by intensified competition for a shrinking pool of high-value, trackable users.
Casual games saw a 38% decline in iOS CPI post-iOS 14.6, while Android CPI for the same segment rose by 16%.
Android CPI for core games increased by 36% during the same period, reflecting broader market volatility across platforms.
The historical CPI gap between iOS and Android has narrowed for casual titles, suggesting that Android installs now provide monetary value comparable to iOS for that segment.
iOS remains the premium channel for core games due to higher in-app purchase conversion rates, despite the significant cost increases.
The analysis is based on 13.5 billion programmatic ad impressions across iOS and Android tracked between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021.
Strategic mitigation of post-IDFA volatility requires diversifying media spend and utilizing machine-learning-based bidding optimized for return-on-ad-spend.
Core games experienced a 78% surge in iOS CPI following the iOS 14.6 release, driven by intensified competition for a shrinking pool of high-value, trackable users.
Casual games saw a 38% decline in iOS CPI post-iOS 14.6, while Android CPI for the same segment rose by 16%.
Android CPI for core games increased by 36% during the same period, reflecting broader market volatility across platforms.
The historical CPI gap between iOS and Android has narrowed for casual titles, suggesting that Android installs now provide monetary value comparable to iOS for that segment.
iOS remains the premium channel for core games due to higher in-app purchase conversion rates, despite the significant cost increases.
The analysis is based on 13.5 billion programmatic ad impressions across iOS and Android tracked between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021.
Strategic mitigation of post-IDFA volatility requires diversifying media spend and utilizing machine-learning-based bidding optimized for return-on-ad-spend.