Can You Measure YouTube Shorts Installs Separately in Google App Campaigns?

Google App campaigns can serve on YouTube Shorts, but that does not mean you can isolate Shorts as an install campaign or get a standalone Shorts install count. Confirm the campaign type before choosing which placement results to present.

Check targeting and reporting separately

Google's guide to Shorts ads in App campaigns explains that App campaigns serve across Search, Google Play, YouTube including Shorts, Discover, and the Google Display Network. In App campaigns, you cannot choose Shorts as the only placement. Google's Shorts reporting guide also explains that performance for Shorts in App campaigns is included in YouTube reporting. A YouTube total should therefore not be labeled as a Shorts-only result.

Match the question to the available data

If your question is whether short vertical creative is effective, compare an appropriate creative test where the available reporting supports it. If the question is whether a specific placement generated an install, confirm that the campaign and conversion report expose that placement before promising a breakdown.

When reconciling with an attribution tool, compare installs or first opens only at a level both reports support. Use the same app, operating system, date range, and measurement window. If the data is only available for YouTube in aggregate, report that scope and leave Shorts-only installs unreported.