Start the Accelerator Test
Appodeal runs a user-acquisition test on your game at its own expense: two campaigns on Facebook, Worldwide $150 and USA $150. All UA costs are covered by us. You work through six steps in the dashboard section Accelerator Test; we unlock the section, review your build (up to 48 hours) and run the campaign. If your game meets our benchmarks, we offer a publishing contract on revenue share. The wizard's step 5 is labelled Soft Launch UA and is this test campaign; the publishing phase after a contract is also called Soft Launch.
Before you start
You need:
- an Appodeal account — sign up;
- your app added in the dashboard: each platform is a separate app entry, listed as
<Name> Androidand<Name> iOS; - the app published in the store and available worldwide — one campaign is Worldwide, one is USA;
- if the game is not released or mid-release, finish the release and make sure the build is stable first;
- your bundle ID sent through the Accelerator form — we unlock the Accelerator Test section for that app by hand.
Open it with Start Accelerator Test in the dashboard Overview toolbar, beside + Add App. On Select Your App, in Select App, choose the entry whose bundle ID you sent.
If the section or your app does not appear:
| You see | Why | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| No Start Accelerator Test button, or no Accelerator Test section, after you sent the form | We unlock the section by hand for the bundle ID you sent | Write to us with that bundle ID (Get help) |
| Your app is not under MY APPS in Select App | The section is unlocked for the bundle ID you sent; you added a different app | Send us the right bundle ID |
| Two entries for one game, "… Android" and "… iOS" | Each platform is a separate app entry. Which entry we unlock, and whether the platforms are evaluated together, is confirmed per app | Write to us with both bundle IDs |
The six steps
The sidebar of the wizard lists six steps; the pages of this section follow them.
| Step | You do | We do | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Select Your App | Choose the app entry whose bundle ID you sent | Unlock the section | this page |
| 2. Monetization Setup | Choose Light SDK or Appodeal SDK and integrate it | — | Light SDK · Appodeal SDK |
| 3. UA Setup | Enter your Meta values, click Request UA, click MMP Setup (or transfer your AppsFlyer app to us), send the build | Create the Ad Account ID and the AppsFlyer app; review the build within 48 hours | UA Setup |
| 4. Creatives | Upload at least one vertical video (we recommend 3–4) | Validate the files | Creatives |
| 5. Soft Launch UA | Enter headline and primary text, click Launch Campaign | Run the two campaigns | Soft Launch UA |
| 6. Results | Read the rating and the live dashboard; Request a Call or Request Relaunch | Review the numbers with you | Results |
Light SDK or Appodeal SDK
You do not have to switch your monetization to Appodeal for the test. Light SDK = without Appodeal ads (attribution + analytics only). Appodeal SDK = with Appodeal ads (full mediation).
You can keep your existing ad setup and mediation running; nothing has to be turned off for the test. An IAP-only game with no ad SDK is accepted for the test. Which mode fits your app is confirmed when we unlock your section — if in doubt, write to us (Get help).
| Compare | Light SDK | Appodeal SDK |
|---|---|---|
| What goes in the build | SDK core + the AppsFlyer and Meta Analytics adapters; no ad-network adapters | The same two adapters + all default ad networks |
| Ads served by Appodeal | None | Yes |
| Unity Appodeal DM preset | Minimal | Default |
| Dashboard work in step 2 | One checkbox, SDK implemented | Five required checkboxes and Autoconnection; AdMob only if you already have an account (AdMob) |
| Go to | Integrate the Light SDK | Integrate the Appodeal SDK |
Platforms
Android, iOS, Unity, Flutter and React Native. The wizard's 2. Import SDK panel shows Android | Unity for an Android app entry and iOS | Unity for an iOS entry; Flutter and React Native projects apply the Android and iOS tabs of the integration pages to their native layers, and a React Native / Expo version pairing is confirmed per project. Capacitor on iOS: the native iOS integration — the iOS tab of the Light SDK page. GameMaker Studio is not supported.
What we measure and what happens next
We look at four numbers.
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| CPI | under $1 |
| D1 retention | above 35% |
| D7 retention | above 10% |
| Average session length | above 10 minutes |
For non-ad-revenue or unusual business models we focus on retention, daily playtime and CPI. The Results step may show genre-specific figures.
If your game passes: a publishing contract on revenue share — the only financial model we offer — and then the Soft Launch phase, which we fund: UA up to $50,000 per month on Google Ads, Unity, AppLovin (Axon), Moloco and others, a creative production team and a producer on the project; in some cases scaling to $500,000 per month; revenue share is paid at the end of each month. IP, app transfer and contract terms: FAQ.
If not yet: you get a written analysis of what to improve. After changes, click Request Relaunch in 6. Results and we run the campaign again.
Get help
Write to [email protected] and [email protected] or [email protected]. Include your bundle ID, the platform (Android, iOS, Unity, Flutter or React Native), whether you chose Light SDK or Appodeal SDK, and what is blocking you: the wizard block and a screenshot, or the exact error or log text.