Skip to main content
robertc6820873
Level 1
September 11, 2026
Question

Natural Search Attribution Impacted by Latest iOS release?

  • September 11, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 13 views

We noticed our original referrer data starting to get stripped which moved what would have been Natural Search traffic into Direct throughout the summer, but especially in early August. Are there any ideas on if this is related to the Safari 26 browser update tied to an iOS release, and are there any work-arounds to get that traffic back in under Natural Search in Adobe Analytics?

1 reply

Arturo-Rivero
Adobe Champion
Arturo-RiveroAdobe Champion
Adobe Champion
September 11, 2026

Hi ​@robertc6820873 ,

Before attributing this to Apple iOS releases, I have a few questions:

  1. Have you tried breaking down Direct by browser and OS? Try plotting browsers and OS over time (line graph). Did Chrome on Android and Chrome on desktop move too, or is it isolated to Safari/iOS? If all three moved together in August, it's Google-side. If only iOS moved, it's Apple.
  2. For the visits landing in Direct, does the Referrer / Referring Domain dimension show google.com at normal volume, while the Natural Search marketing channel drops?
  3. What is the click volume in Google Search Console over the same period? Did GSC clicks hold steady while Adobe Natural Search fell? If so, then it's probably an attribution issue. If GSC fell too, then this could be a real drop.

I would like to see screenshots of the table and the line graph to assess before jumping to conclusions. 

Looking forward to hearing back.

Arturo Rivero
Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement

Loading footer...