What are app reinstalls?

Published: May 03

Table of Content:

Key Takeaways
App Reinstall vs Related Terms
How App Reinstalls Are Tracked
App Reinstall Rate
FAQ
See Also

App reinstalls are downloads from users who previously had the app installed and removed it, then installed it again on the same device or under the same store account. For app marketers, product teams, and developers, this is a lifecycle metric, not an instruction for how to reinstall an app manually. iOS and Android also label and count these events in slightly different ways.

Key Takeaways

A reinstall usually means a returning user came back after uninstalling, not a brand-new user.
iOS uses the term redownloads; Android reporting often refers to returning users and re-acquisition.
App reinstall rate helps teams read churn recovery, lifecycle health, campaign reactivation, and product trust after updates.

App Reinstall vs Related Terms

App reinstall sits close to install, reattribution, and retention metrics, which is exactly why teams mix them up. The simplest rule: a reinstall shows renewed access from someone who had the app before.

Term	What it means	Counts as new user?
New install	First-ever install on a device or store account	Yes
Reinstall	Same user installs again after uninstalling	No
Reattribution	A reinstall or return credited to a new ad source	No
Returning user	A previous user comes back after a dormant or uninstall gap	No
Redownloads	Apple’s App Store Connect term for repeat downloads	No
App resurrection	Android-style term for a long-lapsed user returning	No

How App Reinstalls Are Tracked

On iOS: redownloads in App Store Connect

In App Store Connect, the closest iOS reinstall tracking metric is Redownloads. Apple defines redownloads as repeat downloads of an app from the App Store and says they do not include auto-updates or device restores. Apple also separates First-Time Downloads, Redownloads, and Total Downloads, which matters when you compare acquisition performance with user retention or install velocity.

A useful detail: Apple’s attribution model keeps sales and usage tied to the original download source, including redownloads and downloads across devices sharing the same Apple Account. So a redownload is not always a fresh acquisition signal in the same way a first-time download is.

On Android: returning users in Google Play Console

Google Play Console treats this more explicitly as a user lifecycle question. Acquisition reports include new users, who have never installed the app before, and returning users, who previously installed the app but removed it from all their devices. Google also defines the app install state dimension as whether the user is installing for the first time or has previously uninstalled the app.

That makes Android app reinstall tracking useful for ASO and lifecycle teams because it separates pure first-time acquisition from re-acquisition. A spike in returning users can mean a campaign worked, a product update fixed a blocker, or dormant demand came back after a seasonal trigger.

With an MMP: app reinstall attribution

Mobile measurement partners such as AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, and Singular usually classify a reinstall as either organic, paid, or reattributed based on the platform rules, last-click logic, and the reattribution window. This is where app reinstall attribution gets messy in a very normal way.

For example, if a lapsed user clicks a paid ad, reinstalls the app, and opens it within the configured reattribution window, the MMP may credit that return to the campaign. Deferred deep linking can also restore context, such as the offer, product, or screen the user expected to see after reinstalling.

Pairing reinstall data with AppFollow’s review and rating intelligence helps explain why a reinstall spike happened, for example, a fix shipped in the latest version that addressed a recurring complaint.

App Reinstall Rate

App reinstall rate shows what share of installs came from users who had the app before. It is usually read alongside uninstall rate, retention, churn, ratings, reviews, release dates, and campaign activity.

App Reinstall Rate (%) =
(Reinstalls in period / Total installs in period) × 100

Example: if an app gets 2,000 total installs in a week and 300 are reinstalls, the app reinstall rate is 15%.

There is no universal “good” app reinstall rate. A streaming app, banking app, language-learning app, and hyper-casual game will not behave the same. What matters more is the direction of the metric and the reason behind it. Rising reinstalls after a bug-fix release is healthy. Rising reinstalls with poor retention may mean users return, check again, and leave again.

FAQ

What counts as an app reinstall?

An app reinstall counts when a user who previously installed and removed an app installs it again. Depending on the platform, this may be tied to the device, store account, or user acquisition state.

Do reinstalls count as new installs?

Usually, no. Reinstalls are returning-user activity, not first-time acquisition. They may still appear inside broader download or install totals, so check how your platform separates first-time downloads, redownloads, and returning users.

How are reinstalls tracked on iOS vs Android?

On iOS, App Store Connect reports redownloads as a downloads metric. On Android, Google Play Console acquisition reporting separates new users from returning users who previously removed the app from all devices.

What is a good app reinstall rate?

A good app reinstall rate depends on category, monetization model, seasonality, and user lifecycle. Treat it as a trend metric. Healthy reinstalls often follow meaningful product updates, reactivation campaigns, or fixed user pain points.

Are reinstalls attributed to a campaign?

Sometimes. If a reinstall happens after a trackable ad click or owned-channel link, an MMP may attribute it to a campaign based on reattribution rules. Without that attribution path, the reinstall may appear as organic or unattributed.