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Before you go live, you want to confirm that when someone installs your app, AppsFlyer actually sees it, and when something happens in the app (a purchase, a signup), that gets recorded too. This page walks you through how to check all of that from your phone and the AppsFlyer dashboard.
Make sure AppsFlyer is enabled in Despia > App > Settings > Integrations > AppsFlyer and that debug mode is turned on. You will turn debug mode off again before you submit to the App Store or Google Play.

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Installation

npm install despia-native

import despia from 'despia-native';

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How it works

When your app is running, Despia passes data to AppsFlyer behind the scenes. To check that it is working, you tell AppsFlyer “this is my test phone”, install the app on that phone, and then watch a live feed in the AppsFlyer dashboard to see if the data comes through. 
const isDespia = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().includes('despia')

if (isDespia) {
    // send a test purchase event to confirm AppsFlyer is receiving data
    despia("appsflyer://event?name=af_purchase&revenue=9.99&currency=USD")
}

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Step 1 - Tell AppsFlyer which phone you are testing on

AppsFlyer ignores data from unknown devices during testing to keep your real data clean. You need to register your phone first. The easiest way is to download the free My Device ID app by AppsFlyer. Open it, tap register, log in with your AppsFlyer account, and your phone is added automatically.

My Device ID - iPhone

Download on the App Store

My Device ID - Android

Download on Google Play
You can also add your phone manually in the AppsFlyer dashboard under Settings > Test Devices > Add device.

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Step 2 - Install your app on your phone

You do not need a Mac, Xcode, or Android Studio. Just install the app the normal way for each platform.
After you deploy in Despia, the build is automatically uploaded to TestFlight. Open TestFlight on your iPhone and install the latest build from there. Before installing, delete any existing version of the app from your phone so that AppsFlyer registers a fresh install.

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Step 3 - Watch installs appear in real time

This is where you see if everything is working. AppsFlyer has a live feed called the Live Event Viewer that shows you installs and events as they happen on your test phone. In the AppsFlyer dashboard, go to Settings > SDK Integration Tests, click Live Events, pick your app, pick your test phone, and click Continue. Then open the app on your phone. The install should appear on the dashboard within a few seconds. To also check that the data arriving in your app is correct, paste this into your code and open the app: 
const isDespia = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().includes('despia')

if (isDespia) {
    alert("Where did this user come from: " + despia.appsFlyerReferrer)
    alert("AppsFlyer user ID: " + despia.appsFlyerUID)
    alert("Full attribution data: " + JSON.stringify(despia.appsFlyerAttribution, null, 2))
}
A popup on your phone will show you exactly what AppsFlyer knows about where this install came from.

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Step 4 - Check that events are being recorded

With the Live Event Viewer still open, trigger some actions in your app and watch them appear in the dashboard. Add this to your code to send a few test events: 
const isDespia = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().includes('despia')

if (isDespia) {
    // simulates a purchase
    despia("appsflyer://event?name=af_purchase&revenue=9.99&currency=USD")

    // simulates a login
    despia("appsflyer://event?name=af_login")

    // simulates finishing onboarding
    despia("appsflyer://event?name=complete_onboarding")
}
Each event shows up in the Live Event Viewer with its name and a status of 200 OK, which means AppsFlyer received it successfully.

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Step 5 - Check that your user ID is being sent

When a user logs in, you want AppsFlyer to know who they are so you can match events to real users. Add this after your login flow and check that the event shows up in the Live Event Viewer with the customer user ID attached: 
const isDespia = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().includes('despia')

if (isDespia) {
    const userId = "test_user_123"
    despia("appsflyer://set_user_id?customer_user_id=" + encodeURIComponent(userId))

    // send an event right after so you can see the ID is attached
    despia("appsflyer://event?name=af_login")
}

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Before you go live

Once testing is done, there are three things to do before submitting to the App Store or Google Play. Turn off debug mode in Despia > App > Settings > Integrations > AppsFlyer. Debug mode is only for testing. If you leave it on, all installs will be marked as test installs and your real attribution data will not be recorded. After turning off debug mode, rebuild the app in Despia for both iOS and Android and submit the new builds. The change does not take effect until users install the new version. Remove any alert() calls you added during testing so they do not appear for real users.

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Resources

NPM Package

despia-native

Support

support@despia.com