React Native SDK

TypeScript SDK for attribution, product events, SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit conversion values, AppRefer Billing and the in-app Support chat, on iOS and Android.

Every page in this section follows the same order, so you can switch between the iOS, Android, Flutter and React Native references and find the same thing in the same place. All four SDKs share one version number; this page documents 0.13.1.

Install

Install the tagged GitHub release (the package isn't on the npm registry) together with its AsyncStorage peer, then install the pods. Git installs build the JavaScript and type declarations automatically.

npm install github:AppAgentic/apprefer-react-native-sdk#0.13.1 @react-native-async-storage/async-storage
cd ios && pod install

import { AppRefer } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';
import { AppReferBilling } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk/billing'; // only if you use AppRefer Billing

Platform setup

• The SDK ships native modules (the AppRefer pod on iOS and an autolinked Android package) for the ATT reader, AdServices, the Install Referrer, push environment and the Support chat. Expo apps need a development build, not Expo Go.
• iOS: iOS 15 or later. In your privacy manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy), declare only trk.apprefer.com under NSPrivacyTrackingDomains, never apprefer.com. For postback copies, add the Info.plist keys in SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit.
• Android: minimum API 23 (for the Support module). The SDK declares only INTERNET and never reads the Advertising ID, so it adds no AD_ID permission.

<key>NSPrivacyTracking</key>
<true/>
<key>NSPrivacyTrackingDomains</key>
<array>
    <string>trk.apprefer.com</string>
</array>

Configure

Call configure once, as early as possible (your root layout or App component). On the first launch it sends the install's signals to AppRefer and resolves attribution; on later launches it returns the cached result. Repeat calls reuse the existing instance.

import { AppRefer } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';

useEffect(() => {
  AppRefer.configure({ apiKey: 'pk_live_...', debug: __DEV__ }).then((attribution) => {
    // attribution?.network, attribution?.matchType
  });
}, []);

configure resolves to Attribution | null and never rejects. Methods called before it do nothing.

configureResult

configureResult takes the same options and tells you why there is or isn't an attribution. It reports organic only after the server has said so, never because the network failed.

const result = await AppRefer.configureResult({ apiKey: 'pk_live_...' });
switch (result.status) {
  case 'attributed': showWelcome(result.attribution.campaignName); break;
  case 'pending': break;  // waiting for the user's ATT answer (iOS)
  case 'organic': break;  // the server answered: no ad click matched
  case 'failed': console.warn(result.error); break;
}

AppRefer.getAttribution() returns the cached attribution synchronously, without a network call.

Attribution result

The Attribution object returned by configure and getAttribution():

Deep links

The SDK reads ar_click_id from the launch URL on its own. For links that open an already running app, extract it yourself:

import { AppReferDeepLinks } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';

const clickId = AppReferDeepLinks.extractClickId(url);

Tracking consent

AppRefer keeps cross-company tracking and first-party work apart for each install. Granted consent uses trk.apprefer.com and allows matching to the ad click, the IDFA, advanced matching and forwarding to ad networks. Denied or undetermined consent uses apprefer.com only: Apple Ads or organic attribution, analytics, Billing and Support, with nothing forwarded. Details: Privacy.

• iOS: the SDK reads the App Tracking Transparency status your app already has and never shows the prompt. If you show it, call trackingConsentDidChange() straight after. It also re-checks on every configure and whenever the app becomes active. An undetermined install is held for up to 24 hours in case the user allows tracking.
• Android: pass your app's own choice to setTrackingConsent. It is saved across launches; null (the default) keeps the legacy behaviour, where requests carry no consent value and are treated as allowed.

// iOS: right after your own ATT prompt
await AppRefer.trackingConsentDidChange();

// Android: your consent flow's answer (true, false, or null for legacy)
await AppRefer.setTrackingConsent(false);

User identity

Tell AppRefer who is signed in, so Support conversations and product events carry the account (app_user_id). Use the same id you pass to AppReferBilling.logIn. You can also pass it as userId to configure.

await AppRefer.setUserId(currentUser.id);
await AppReferBilling.logIn(currentUser.id); // if you use AppRefer Billing

Advanced matching

Send hashed customer details to improve Meta match rates. Values are SHA-256 hashed on the device and dropped unless tracking consent is granted (on Android, also when not set). Call it once after sign-up or sign-in.

await AppRefer.setAdvancedMatching({
  email: 'user@example.com',
  phone: '+15551234567',
  firstName: 'Jane',
  lastName: 'Doe',
  dateOfBirth: '19900131', // YYYYMMDD
});

Device id

await AppRefer.getDeviceId() returns AppRefer's install id. AppRefer Billing sends it with purchases automatically. If you take payments through RevenueCat instead, set it as the appreferId subscriber attribute (see RevenueCat).

Events

Track the in-app moments that matter to you (sign-up, onboarding finished, first workout). Don't track purchases here: AppRefer Billing records purchases, renewals and refunds and forwards them for you. Which events reach ad networks is covered in Events.

await AppRefer.trackEvent('signup');
await AppRefer.trackEvent('tutorial_complete', { properties: { step: 'final' } });

// Need to know what happened to it?
const result = await AppRefer.trackEventResult('level_up', { properties: { level: 3 } });
// 'sent', 'queued' or 'dropped'

Offline queue

• Events are saved in AsyncStorage before they are sent and keep one stable event id, so delivery is at least once.
• The queue holds up to 1,000 events for up to seven days; the oldest are dropped first.
• Network errors, HTTP 408, 429 and 5xx are retried with backoff (up to an hour, or longer if the server asks), at launch and when the app returns to the foreground. Other 4xx answers are final.
• await AppRefer.clearPendingEvents() cancels event requests and empties the queue, for example when the user withdraws analytics consent.

Collection control

setCollectionEnabled(false) stops attribution, consent reports, conversion values and product events, cancels what is in flight and clears the event queue. The choice is saved across launches; it never throws. Billing and Support keep working, without the install's device id.

await AppRefer.setCollectionEnabled(false); // consent withdrawn

// Later, to resume: enable, then configure again
await AppRefer.setCollectionEnabled(true);
await AppRefer.configure({ apiKey: 'pk_live_...' });

Enabling alone sends nothing. Calling it with true while collection is already on changes nothing, so it is safe to call from a consent tool on every launch.

Account switching

Call reset() when a user signs out, and await it before the next account signs in. It revokes the old Support session and its push token, clears the Support profile, history and drafts, the user id and queued events. The install's own attribution and device id stay.

// Sign out
await AppReferBilling.logOut(); // if you use AppRefer Billing
await AppRefer.reset();

// Next account signs in
await AppRefer.configure({ apiKey: 'pk_live_...', userId: nextUser.id });
await AppReferBilling.logIn(nextUser.id);

• After reset(), attribution and events are paused until you call configure again. Events tracked in between are dropped, never sent later.
• Billing logout stays explicit. Until Billing's logIn or logOut runs, the Billing user who was current at reset gets no install device id, even after a relaunch (0.9.3+).
• reset() is safe to call before configure and more than once. It doesn't change the collection setting.

SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit

On iOS, the SDK (0.7.0+) sets Apple's conversion value for you, so SKAdNetwork and AdAttributionKit postbacks are sent even for users who don't allow tracking:

• On first launch it registers the install (value 0, coarse low).
• It raises the value from AppRefer's own data: 10 (medium) once a free trial starts, 20 + whole dollars paid (high, capped at 63) once the user pays. Values only go up.
• It checks at launch, when the app becomes active, after trial and revenue events and after AppRefer Billing purchases, for 35 days. It updates AdAttributionKit (iOS 17.4+) and SKAdNetwork (iOS 15.4+).

If you take payments outside AppRefer Billing, call this after a purchase. On Android it does nothing.

await AppRefer.updateConversionValue();

To get copies of the winning postbacks in AppRefer, add these keys to your iOS Info.plist, plus the SKAdNetworkItems identifiers your ad networks publish. See SKAdNetwork.

<key>NSAdvertisingAttributionReportEndpoint</key>
<string>https://apprefer.com</string>
<key>AttributionCopyEndpoint</key>
<string>https://apprefer.com</string>

AppRefer Billing

AppReferBilling runs App Store and Google Play subscriptions and one-time purchases through react-native-iap (StoreKit 2 on iOS, Play Billing on Android). AppRefer verifies each purchase with Apple or Google, acknowledges Google purchases, keeps the customer's entitlements and sends the conversion to your ad networks from the same attribution. It lives in its own entry point, @apprefer/react-native-sdk/billing, so attribution-only apps don't need react-native-iap. Billing must be turned on for the app in AppRefer first; see Billing for the server setup and the move from RevenueCat.

Set up

npm install react-native-iap react-native-nitro-modules
cd ios && pod install

import { AppRefer } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';
import { AppReferBilling } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk/billing';

AppRefer.configure({ apiKey: 'pk_live_...' });

// Same SDK key. Starts the store purchase listener right away.
await AppReferBilling.configure({
  appUserId: null, // null = anonymous "$ARAnon:<UUID>"
  entitlementsByProduct: {
    pro_monthly: ['premium'],
    pro_yearly: ['premium'],
  },
  consumableProductIds: ['coins_100'], // Google Play consumables; iOS reads the type from StoreKit
});

Offerings and paywalls

Offerings let you change what a paywall sells from the dashboard (packages, placements, targeting and experiments) without hard-coding product ids. See Offerings.

const offerings = await AppReferBilling.offerings();

const annual = offerings.currentOffering('onboarding')?.annual;
if (annual) {
  setPrice(annual.storeProduct.displayPrice);
  const result = await AppReferBilling.purchasePackage(annual);
}

• offerings.current is the resolved default and offerings.all holds every offering by id. Each offering has availablePackages, metadata, a package lookup and the shortcuts weekly, monthly, twoMonth, threeMonth, sixMonth, annual and lifetime.
• An unknown placement falls back to the current offering; a placement set to no offering returns null (show no paywall).
• Buying through purchasePackage records the offering, placement and experiment with the purchase.
• Offerings are cached for five minutes (memory and AsyncStorage). Offline, the last copy is used; with no copy at all the call rejects, so keep your existing product ids as a fallback.

Products, purchase and restore

const products = await AppReferBilling.products(['pro_monthly', 'pro_yearly']); // react-native-iap products, in this order

const result = await AppReferBilling.purchase(products[1]);
if (result.userCancelled) return;
if (result.outcome === 'pending') showPendingNote(); // Ask to Buy / slow payment: arrives later
if (result.customerInfo.entitlements.active.premium) unlock();

const info = await AppReferBilling.restorePurchases(); // AppStore.sync() on iOS, then sends every owned purchase

• purchase tags the purchase with the customer's AppRefer account token (Apple appAccountToken, Google obfuscatedAccountId), sends it to AppRefer and only then completes it.
• Google Play options: offerToken (default: a free-trial offer the user is eligible for, else the base plan; see defaultOfferToken(product)), and oldProductId with replacementMode (default with-time-proration) for upgrades and downgrades.
• App Store options: promotionalOffer and winBackOfferId.
• Who is buying is saved before the sheet opens, so a purchase that completes later still goes to them. If that can't be saved, purchase rejects with a storage error and the sheet doesn't open.
• Only restorePurchases() can move a purchase owned by another app user to the one signed in. AppReferBilling.rejectedPurchases() lists purchases AppRefer refused for good, for your support team.

Customer info and entitlements

const info = await AppReferBilling.customerInfo(); // cached for 5 minutes, then fetched
const fresh = await AppReferBilling.customerInfo({ fetchPolicy: 'fetchCurrent' });

if (info.entitlements.active.premium) { /* unlocked */ }
info.entitlements.all.premium?.expirationDate; // ISO 8601, null for lifetime

const remove = AppReferBilling.addCustomerInfoUpdateListener(update);
remove(); // or AppReferBilling.removeCustomerInfoUpdateListener(update)

customerInfo never rejects, and the objects are plain JSON, safe to keep in React state. If AppRefer can't be reached, entitlements come from the verified store purchases on the device, mapped through entitlementsByProduct, so a paying user is never locked out.

Users

await AppReferBilling.logIn('user_123'); // moves purchases made while anonymous to this user
await AppReferBilling.logOut();          // new anonymous id

const id = await AppReferBilling.appUserId(); // "$ARAnon:..." while anonymous
const anonymous = await AppReferBilling.isAnonymous();

await AppReferBilling.setEmail('a@example.com'); // also setDisplayName, setPhoneNumber, setAttributes

The install's device id is sent with purchases automatically, so purchases are matched to the ad click without setUserId. It is left out while collection is off and after reset() until configure runs again. The anonymous id is kept in AsyncStorage, so a reinstall starts a new one; a restore still finds the purchases.

Sandbox and App Review

• Test with a sandbox Apple ID or a Play license tester. Those purchases are recorded as sandbox, unlock the entitlement and are never forwarded to ad networks or counted as revenue.
• App Review's sandbox purchases in your release build work with the live key.
• A real (production) purchase sent with a pk_test_ key is refused.
• Transactions from an Xcode StoreKit configuration file are signed with a local certificate AppRefer rejects; the SDK still unlocks them locally, but they never reach AppRefer.

Support

An in-app help chat your team answers from the AppRefer inbox, with screenshots, quick-help topics, reply notifications and a help centre. Built from React Native core components, no extra runtime packages, 35 languages. Server setup and the inbox are covered in Support.

Open the chat

Mount the modal host once, next to your navigation:

import { AppRefer, AppReferSupportHost, AppReferSupportView } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';

function Root() {
  return (
    <>
      <AppNavigation />
      <AppReferSupportHost />
    </>
  );
}

AppRefer.support.open();                                  // help home
AppRefer.support.open('cv_...');                          // one conversation
AppRefer.support.compose('Problem with my subscription'); // home with the message field filled in

// Or embed it in your own screen (use either the host or the view, not both)
<AppReferSupportView opening={{ kind: 'helpCentre' }} onClose={goBack} />
// { kind: 'home' }, { kind: 'article', slug }, { kind: 'conversation', id }

Identify and customise

import { supportTopics } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';

await AppRefer.support.identify('Alex', 'alex@example.com'); // user id is sent automatically
AppRefer.support.accentColor = '#7954ff';   // hex or rgb(); the palette is derived from it
AppRefer.support.title = 'Sparkly support'; // default "<app name> support", translated
AppRefer.support.teamNames = ['Sam'];       // first names on the home
AppRefer.support.replyTime = 'a few hours'; // completes "We usually reply in …"
AppRefer.support.appIcon = require('./assets/icon.png');
AppRefer.support.topics = [
  supportTopics.billing,
  Object.assign(supportTopics.restore, { action: () => AppReferBilling.restorePurchases() }),
  supportTopics.bug,
  { title: 'Workouts', subtitle: 'Logging and plans', icon: 'chat', tint: '#FF9500', prompt: 'Which workout?' },
];
AppRefer.support.language = 'de'; // force a language; undefined follows the app
AppRefer.support.strings = { 'support.home.subtitle': 'What can we fix for you?' };

Quick-help tiles default to billing, restore, bug and idea; an empty list hides them. A tile with an action runs it instead of starting a message. icon is a built-in name (billing, restore, bug, idea, chat, chats, camera…) or a render function. The chat follows the app's language, then the device, then English.

Reply notifications

AppRefer sends reply notifications itself: through APNs with your key on iOS and FCM with your service account on Android. It emails a reply only if it stays unread for an hour. Your app owns the notification permission and messaging setup; the SDK adds no messaging dependency. Register the token once status().pushReady is true: the APNs device token (hex) on iOS, the FCM token on Android.

if ((await AppRefer.support.status()).pushReady) {
  await AppRefer.support.registerPushToken(token);
}

// On a notification tap (not on background receipt)
if (AppRefer.support.handleNotification(remoteMessage.data ?? {})) return;

// Before unregistering a device token
await AppRefer.support.removePushToken(oldToken);

const unread = await AppRefer.support.unreadCount(); // for a badge

On Android, replies arrive on the apprefer_support channel. Call registerPushToken again when the token rotates. Push environment (0.10.1+). On iOS the token is registered for the environment the build is signed for, read from the embedded profile's aps-environment: development-signed builds (Debug or Release) and the Simulator use sandbox; App Store, TestFlight, Ad Hoc and Enterprise builds use production. Force one with AppRefer.support.pushEnvironment = 'sandbox' or registerPushToken(token, 'sandbox'). Android always uses production.

Help centre

Published help articles appear in the chat with no code (0.10.0+): a "Help articles" card on the home, a searchable help centre and a reader. You can open them directly or build your own screens.

import { SupportError } from '@apprefer/react-native-sdk';

AppRefer.support.openHelpCentre();             // with <AppReferSupportHost /> mounted
AppRefer.support.openArticle('restore-purchases');

const articles = await AppRefer.support.articles();         // AppReferHelpArticle[]
const results = await AppRefer.support.articles('refund');  // server search, up to 20
try {
  const article = await AppRefer.support.article('refunds'); // + body (markdown)
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof SupportError && e.status === 404) { /* removed or unpublished */ }
}

Articles come in the chat's language and are cached for five minutes; offline, the last copy is shown. Test keys also see drafts.

Status

const status = await AppRefer.support.status();
status.pushReady;          // this platform's push verified (on iOS, for this build's environment)
status.emailReplies;       // customers can answer reply emails
status.helpCentreArticles; // number of published articles

status() follows the server's caching (five minutes once every channel is verified, otherwise 30 seconds), so calling it at every launch is cheap.

Support without attribution

Apps that want only the chat can start Support on its own. It doesn't configure attribution, collect device signals or send analytics.

AppRefer.support.configure('pk_live_...');

// Forget the name, email and user id and start a fresh anonymous session
await AppRefer.support.clearIdentity();

Requirements

Changelog highlights

Full history: the CHANGELOG.md in apprefer-react-native-sdk.