Dayzle developer challenges Google Ads over suspected bot-driven installs
A small app developer says 33 of 56 billed Android installs showed behaviour consistent with automated activity, prompting a campaign change and an appeal to Google.
A developer of the puzzle app Dayzle says Google Ads billed about CA$220 for 56 Android installs over two weeks, but 33 displayed behaviour the developer characterised as consistent with a bot farm.
The concerns centred on one day when Google Ads reported 21 installs while Dayzle’s administration panel recorded one. Raw analytics showed that 20 of the 21 devices used an outdated version of the app, opened it once, recorded no time on its screens and did not return.
The developer said the devices identified Google Play as the installer even though the version they used was no longer being served by Google Play. Seven further billed installs came from countries outside the campaign’s targeting.
By contrast, 13 users completed 92 games between them. The developer said the difference between those users and the 33 installations with matching behaviour led to the suspicion of automated activity, though the claim has not been independently verified.
The campaign initially used a target cost per install of $1.50 and spent little. After that target was removed, it spent CA$80 in one day and reported 21 installs. The developer believes the install-focused campaign created an optimisation loop in which automated activity was rewarded for opening the app.
The campaign objective has since been changed from installs to “won a puzzle”, which the developer believes will be harder for scripts to achieve. The developer is awaiting Google’s response to an invalid-traffic claim. Google has not publicly confirmed the alleged bot activity or the reported billing figures.
