User Acquisition in 2026: What’s Working Now for Mobile Apps
The UA Landscape in 2026
User acquisition has evolved significantly. Traditional UA channels (Facebook, Google, TikTok) remain important but face increasing costs and privacy restrictions. Rewarded UA — where users are incentivized to install and engage with apps — has emerged as a major growth channel.
Rewarded UA
Rewarded UA works through offerwalls: users see an offer to install your app, complete the install, and receive a reward in the app they’re already using. This produces high-intent users at lower CPIs. Platforms like Perkox connect advertisers with engaged users through offerwalls in popular apps.
AI-Optimized Campaigns
Modern UA platforms use machine learning to optimize: which creative to show, at what bid, to which audience segment, on which network. The result is higher ROAS with less manual optimization.
SKAdNetwork and Privacy
Apple’s SKAdNetwork 4.0 provides more granular attribution data. Combined with Google’s Privacy Sandbox for Android, privacy-first UA is now the standard — not the exception.
Key Strategies for 2026
1. Diversify channels — don’t rely on Facebook/Google alone. 2. Test rewarded UA — lower CPI, higher intent users. 3. Invest in creative — AI tools can generate and test ad variations. 4. Measure ROAS, not just CPI — a cheap install that never converts is expensive.