Understanding Singular’s Cohort Definitions
When using Singular as your MMP within Kohort, it’s important to understand how Singular defines Dx (day-based) cohort and retention metrics. Singular’s definitions differ slightly from how other MMPs or industry standards treat D0 and D1 time windows.
How Singular Defines Dx Metrics
D1 cohort period in Singular covers the first 0–24 hours after an install
This means that what some other platforms refer to as “D0” (the first calendar day post-install) is treated as D1 in Singular
D1 retention in Singular refers to users who return to the app between 24–48 hours after install
In short:
D1 cohort metrics = 0–24 hours post-install (what others call D0)
D1 retention = 24–48 hours post-install (what others call D1)
How Singular Calculates Retention
Singular defines “retained users” as those who remain active X days after the conversion event (install or re-engagement).
The formula is:
Retention on Day X = (Unique Sessions on Day X ÷ Conversions on Day 0) × 100
Below is an excerpt from Singular’s documentation illustrating this calculation:
Why This Matters
When interpreting cohort or retention data from Singular inside Kohort, remember that Singular shifts the Dx window by one day compared to most other attribution platforms.
This ensures you’re comparing metrics correctly across dashboards and can align retention and ROAS expectations between Singular and other MMPs.
Additional Resources
For more information, refer to Singular’s official documentation:
Recommended Initial Setup for Singular
To ensure Kohort can model and forecast performance effectively, it’s best to have key data points and integrations enabled from the start.
1. Enable Key Dx Points
We recommend tracking at least the following cohort day intervals (Dx points):
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 360.
These provide a balanced view of both short-term and long-term user performance.
Teams can choose to include additional Dx points based on business needs, but the above set offers a strong baseline.
2. Enable Data Destinations Early
Turn on Data Destinations in Singular from the start.
This allows Kohort to ingest and analyze longer-term data later on (e.g., D180–D360 cohorts) without needing to backfill historical data.
Even if those longer-term views aren’t immediately needed, enabling this early ensures your dataset remains complete and continuous.
3. Activate Key Events
Make sure the following events are enabled from day one in Singular:
Ad Revenue events
Retained Users events
These are essential for Kohort’s ROAS modeling and retention-based forecasting.
Understanding Post-D180 Data Limitations
For certain major ad networks, including Meta, Google, and Snapchat, data beyond D180 (180 days post-install) is typically unattributed in Singular.
This means that:
Active users or revenue activity after D180 are often classified as organic, rather than being tied back to the original paid campaign.
As a result, accurate LTV tracking beyond D180 becomes difficult through Singular alone.
⚠️ Important:
This limitation cannot be overcome through Singular’s standard reporting.
To make longer-term LTV data available (e.g., up to D360), you must have Data Destinations enabled from the start.
Without it, post-D180 data remains unattributed and can’t be linked to paid activity.