How to Protect Mobile Apps With App Install ID Using AI

Last updated August 3, 2025 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Protect App Install ID in Mobile apps.

What is App Install ID?

App Install ID is an optional feature within Appdome’s IDAnchor™ that provides a unique identifier for each installation of the mobile app on a device. This ID is specific to the combination of the app and the device, and it resets only when the app is updated or reinstalled. Unlike system-level identifiers, such as GAID (Google Advertising ID) or IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), which users can reset or opt out of, Appdome’s App Install ID cannot be turned off or manipulated by the user. This ID helps track install-specific behaviors, detect fraud involving reinstall tactics, and support analytics or licensing models where each install must be uniquely counted. Preventing user opt-out ensures consistent coverage for all installs, which is especially important in fraud prevention and compliance tracking.

How Appdome Protects Mobile Apps With App Install ID

Appdome’s dynamic App Install ID plugin assigns a unique ID to each installation of the app on a device. This ID cannot be reset by the user and persists across sessions until the app is updated or reinstalled. You can use it to track install-level behavior, detect reinstall-based fraud, and support licensing, session integrity, or audit requirements.

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's App Install ID Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Protect App Install ID , you’ll need:

How to Implement Protect App Install ID in Mobile Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Mobile Apps that Protect App Install ID without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Designate the Mobile App to be protected.

    1. Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.

    2. Mobile App Formats: .ipa for iOS, or .apk or .aab for Android
    3. App Install ID is compatible with: Obj-C, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, and more.
  2. Select the defense: App Install ID.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the App Install ID feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains App Install ID

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the App Install ID feature

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the App Install ID feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you select the App Install ID you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains App Install ID.

        Fusion Set applied App Install ID

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added App Install ID protection
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      4. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
    1. Add the App Install ID feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > IDAnchor tab > Android IDAnchor section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On > App Install ID.
        App Install ID option

        Figure 4: Selecting Protect App Install ID

    2. Initiate the build command either by clicking Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 4) or via your CI/CD as described in Section 2.1.4.
    Congratulations!  The App Install ID protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the App Install ID feature in Mobile Apps

    After building App Install ID, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the App Install ID protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the App Install ID protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: App Install ID shown in Certificate secure

    Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate

    Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that App Install ID has been added to each Mobile app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that App Install ID and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for App Install ID Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when App Install ID is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for App Install ID in Mobile Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for App Install ID shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for App Install ID are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Protect App Install ID Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name App Install ID
Threat-Event Mode
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging.
ON, IN-APP DETECTION Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce).
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection).
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check x
Visible in ThreatScope™ x
Developer Parameters for Protecting App Install ID Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
Timestamp The exact time the threat event was triggered, recorded in milliseconds since epoch
message Message displayed for the user on event
externalID The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events
osVersion OS version of the current device
deviceModel Current device model
deviceManufacturer The manufacturer of the current device
fusedAppToken The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app
kernelInfo Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine.
carrierPlmn PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices.
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occurred event
deviceBrand Brand of the device
deviceBoard Board of the device
buildUser Build user
buildHost Build host
sdkVersion Sdk version
threatCode The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device.

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Mobile developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Mobile applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when App Install ID is detected.


The following is a code sample for native Mobile apps, which uses all values in the specification above for App Install ID:


Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Mobile Apps by using App Install ID. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.

Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with App Install ID

After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:

Related Articles:

How Do I Learn More?

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.

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