Indie developer says Google app install ads drove mostly bot-like traffic after spending $220 on Android campaign

Dayzle developer Nick Abe says a Google Ads campaign billed 56 Android installs over two weeks, but his analytics suggested 33 were bot-like and 7 came from untargeted countries. The suspicious installs used outdated app versions, opened once, showed no engagement, and appeared to exploit Google’s install-optimization goal.

The case highlights how performance ad systems can reward low-quality installs when campaigns optimize for volume rather than verified engagement. For small app makers, it underscores the need to track post-install behavior, exclude suspect traffic, and avoid treating platform-reported installs as a reliable success metric.