On 12 November I’ll be in Berlin for Business of Apps, the one-day app growth conference at Estrel Berlin. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, the old one probably will. For more than a decade this event was called App Promotion Summit, and a lot of people in the app world still call it APS out of habit.
I was at last year’s Berlin edition (that’s me on the cover, in front of the famous Business of Apps wall), and I’m going back for the same reason I go to any event: the conversations. But this one has a particular place in my calendar, because it’s one of the few rooms where the people who actually own app growth budgets show up in numbers.
What Business of Apps is, and why it used to be called App Promotion Summit
Business of Apps is a series of one-day conferences run by the Business of Apps media company, the same team behind the app industry news and data site many of us read every week. The events started in 2013 as App Promotion Summit and kept that name until 2025, when they were brought under the Business of Apps brand. The format didn’t really change. Same focus on app marketing and growth, same mix of brands, platforms and agencies, just one name instead of two.
There are three editions a year, in London, New York and Berlin. Berlin is the last one of the year, which gives it a slightly different feel. Budgets for next year are being decided, people are reflecting on what worked, and conversations tend to be more honest than they are in spring.
Who you meet at Business of Apps Berlin
What I like about this event is that it isn’t dominated by vendors talking to other vendors. You meet the people on the brand side: heads of growth, user acquisition and CRM managers, product people, and the folks who have to explain to their CFO why last quarter’s installs didn’t turn into revenue. You also meet the platforms and agencies that serve them, which makes it a good place to understand both sides of the same problem.
For me, running revenue at Apptrove, which sits in mobile attribution, that mix matters. Attribution is one of those topics everyone has an opinion on and very few people are fully happy with. A day like this is where you hear what’s genuinely frustrating people, not what looks good on a slide.
What I expect app marketers to be talking about this year
The first conversation will be about measurement. Teams are spending across Android, iOS, web and increasingly connected TV, and each channel reports success in its own way. Almost every growth lead I’ve spoken to this year wants the same thing: one version of the truth that marketing, product and finance all agree to trust. Perfect attribution isn’t coming. Consistent attribution is achievable, and that’s what most teams actually need.
The second will be about cost. The era of buying installs at any price is over. Brands want to know which users were worth acquiring, and they’re questioning tools and partners that charge for volume rather than value. I expect a lot of honest talk in Berlin about renewals, pricing models and what teams are willing to pay for next year.
The third is fraud, which hasn’t disappeared so much as become quieter. It no longer floods dashboards with obviously fake installs. It hides in traffic that looks normal and partner numbers that look just a little too good. The teams that handle it well are the ones who can explain to a partner exactly why a conversion was rejected, not just that it was.
And of course, AI will be on every stage. I’m less interested in the announcements than in the practical question underneath them: which parts of app growth work are genuinely getting faster, and which ones still need a person who understands the business.
How I plan to spend the day
One day goes fast. I’ll book the important meetings before I arrive, catch a couple of sessions that are slightly outside my own lane, and keep plenty of time free for conversations I didn’t plan. In my experience those unplanned ones are where the useful things get said, usually somewhere between the coffee station and the networking drinks.
If you’re going to be at Business of Apps Berlin and want to talk about attribution, app growth or what’s working for your team right now, send me a message on LinkedIn. I’d much rather have twenty honest minutes over coffee than a hundred badge scans.
Business of Apps Berlin 2026: quick answers
When and where is Business of Apps Berlin 2026?
Business of Apps Berlin 2026 takes place on 12 November 2026 at Estrel Berlin, Sonnenallee 225, in Berlin, Germany. It’s a one-day event.
Is Business of Apps the same as App Promotion Summit?
Yes. The conference series ran as App Promotion Summit from 2013 and was renamed Business of Apps in 2025. If you’ve been to App Promotion Summit Berlin, London or New York before, it’s the same event under a new name.
Who should attend Business of Apps?
It’s built for people responsible for app growth: marketing and user acquisition leads, CRM and retention managers, product managers, and the platforms and agencies that work with them. If your job involves turning app installs into revenue, you’ll find your people there.
Where else does Business of Apps run?
Business of Apps runs three conferences a year: London, New York and Berlin. Berlin is the final edition of the year.
Attribution is the problem we work on every day at Apptrove. If you’re rethinking how you measure app growth, before Berlin or after it, my team is happy to walk you through how it works.
Going too? Read my practical guide to Business of Apps Berlin 2026: getting to the Estrel, planning your day, side events and which Christmas markets are open that week. Before Berlin, I’m at Affiliate Grand Slam in Rome. You can read why I’m still flying to conferences after a decade in this industry.
Get the next Unfiltered Revenue in your inbox
Honest notes on revenue, affiliate and performance marketing. No fluff, unsubscribe anytime.
