Why iOS Users Are Worth 2-3x More Than Android
If you use an iPhone, your ad impressions are worth roughly 2-3x what the same impressions would be worth to an Android user. The reason isn't one thing — it's a stack of them.
If you open Tenjin's or Liftoff's mobile ad benchmarks, you notice something immediately: iOS CPMs are about 2-3x higher than Android CPMs for the same category and the same geography. A US Facebook ad slot on iPhone might go for $10-12 per thousand impressions. The same slot on Android goes for $3-5.
Why? It's not one thing — it's a stack of reasons that compound. Here's the breakdown.
1. Purchasing power
iPhone users have higher median household income than Android users in basically every developed market. Advertisers know this, and they bid accordingly. If a retailer is selling a $300 handbag, they'd rather spend $5 to reach an iPhone user with a 4% chance of converting than $2 to reach an Android user with a 1% chance. The expected value per impression is what drives CPMs, not the absolute cost.
2. App Tracking Transparency
Apple's ATT framework, introduced in iOS 14.5 (2021), requires apps to prompt users before tracking them across other apps and websites. About 75% of users opt out when asked. That means a large chunk of iOS inventory can't be targeted the same way Android inventory can.
Counterintuitively, this raisesCPMs for the remaining targetable iOS inventory. Advertisers bidding for targeted reach have fewer iOS impressions to buy, so the ones that are available get bid up. It's a supply constraint.
3. Engagement and attention
iOS users spend more time in apps per session, on average, than Android users. More attention per impression = more opportunities for conversion = higher CPMs. It's a small factor on top of the other two, but it's real.
What this means for your data value
If you're an iPhone user, your combined data value across Meta, Google, TikTok, and the rest is about 1.4x higher than it would be on Android. A $50/yr profile becomes a $70/yr profile. A $200/yr heavy social media user becomes ~$280.
It doesn't mean you should switch phones for privacy reasons — Android has its own tracking surface, just different. But if you want to see what your specific device context does to your data value, run the calculator with iOS vs Android and compare.
The takeaway
The iOS premium isn't one effect — it's purchasing power, ATT-induced scarcity, and engagement stacked on top of each other. And unlike platform ARPU, it applies to every app you use.
For the full picture, check the methodology page for the exact multipliers and their sources, or browse per-platform data values.