A guide to the learning phase and ROAS optimization in Unity Ads

Welcome to the fourth article in the series on best practices for growing UA with Unity Ads. This article focuses on the learning phase and optimizing ROAS in Unity Ads.

After selecting the right campaign type, connecting relevant data, and getting a better understanding of your creative, bidding and budgeting strategy, grasping the learning phase and ROAS bidding is the next piece of the puzzle that’ll help you prepare for launching your campaign.

In this article, we'll cover learning phase best practices and ROAS bidding strategies to help you target the right audience and maximize your campaign results.

What is the learning phase?

The learning phase is the period when Unity's ad system collects and analyzes data to learn which users are most valuable for your game. Once it learns what your high-value users look like, it can help find and reach more of them.

The campaign(s) will be in the learning phase until the game has accumulated enough data for the model, reaching a specific game-level threshold (these thresholds are specific to your ROAS campaign type). Once the threshold is met, all eligible ROAS campaigns under that Game ID will move to “Live”.

Here are the specific requirements to exit the learning phase based on your campaign type:

D7/D28 IAP ROAS: 75 unique D7 purchasers (D7 cohorted)

D0 Ad Revenue ROAS: 1,000 attributed unique new installs with more than $0 ad revenue being D0 cohorted

D7/D28 Ad Revenue ROAS: 1,000 attributed unique new installs with more than $0 ad revenue being D7 cohorted

D7/D28 Hybrid ROAS: 1,000 attributed unique new installs with more than $0 ad revenue and 35 unique D7 payers (D7 cohorted)

Learning phase do’s and don’ts

It might be tempting to make adjustments before your campaign goes live, but Unity strongly recommends that you refrain from doing so. Here are some of the basic do’s and don’ts to keep in mind during the learning phase:

Do: Minimize tROAS changes until live

Do: Lower tROAS only if volume is low (< 65% daily budget utilization) or learning phase takes too long (> 14 days)

Do: Raise budget or lower tROAS if if volume is low (< 65% daily budget utilization) or learning phase takes too long (> 14 days)

Do: Add geos as needed

Don’t: Start with a low budget that will limit exploration

Don’t: Raise tROAS in learning

Don’t: Make any unnecessary tROAS or country changes

Since the learning phase is when Unity Ads is in data collection and learning mode, touching your campaigns too soon can interrupt learning and prevent the system from collecting the information it needs to optimize targeting.

You should therefore avoid campaign setup changes during the learning phase. Performance fluctuations are expected so wait for the metrics to stabilize after the learning phase before optimizing. You should only make tROAS changes if your campaign is struggling with install volume. In this case, you can decrease tROAS to facilitate exploration.

How to exit the learning phase faster

The learning phase is necessary for ramping your campaigns up for success. But in order for it to be as efficient as possible, the following steps should be taken:

How does ROAS bidding work?

Now that we’ve covered the learning phase, let’s talk about bids. UA campaigns work by bidding to display your ads in other apps. For ROAS campaigns, dynamic bids are used to acquire users efficiently against your ROAS goal. Unity uses the following formula:

Bid = predicted revenue / ROAS target

Here’s how it works in the context of your ROAS campaign:

Tips and tricks for ROAS campaign optimization

With the bidding stage complete, the next step is ROAS campaign optimization. Here are some tips and tricks that Unity experts recommend:

Make as few adjustments to tROAS as possible

Other than the initial launch week, only make adjustments to tROAS once per cohort (2-3 days for D0, 7-9 days for D7, 14-30 days for D28). Your adjustments should be a maximum of 10% proportional change when adjusting the target.

Use low tROAS initially to prioritize scale

This strategy is recommended because it allows the model to gather more data and learn across a broader audience, ultimately improving efficiency and driving stronger performance and scale over time.

Make budget optimizations gradually

For ROAS campaigns, adjustment to budget should be no more than 10-15% at a time. Because they’re optimizing for performance, drastic changes can reset the learning phase and could also lead to CPM inflation, lower ROAS, and confusion in optimization algorithms.

Avoid blocking sources at launch

Because the model is optimizing at the user level, blocking sources could impede potential valuable users. If traffic on a source with poor performance persists, Unity recommends blocking only if there are over 100 installs and the campaign continues to consistently serve traffic to low performing sources.

Continuously optimize creatives

Test new creatives and remove underperforming creatives frequently. To allow for proper exploration, have no more than three creative packs in the learning phase at the same time. For the US and T1 countries, keep your budget at ≥ $100 per creative pack live. You can run up to 30 creative packs per campaign if your budget permits.

D28-specific optimization

D28 campaigns require patience. The most common mistake is drawing conclusions too early, before D28 cohort labels have matured. Here’s what you should expect at different stages of your campaign and some recommendations:

D0-30: Do not draw conclusions. D28 labels are still maturing which means revenue data from days 1–28 post-install is still arriving. Do not cancel or significantly change settings.

D30-50: Results begin to stabilize. Retention uplift becomes readable first; ROAS and ARPU take slightly longer. Use D28 retention rate vs D7 as the leading indicator.

D50+: Draw conclusions and consider budget reallocation. A minimum 60-day run is strongly recommended before making major decisions.

Maximize ROAS on your campaigns

Understanding how the learning phase and bidding works, combined with proven ROAS optimization strategies, sets the foundation for successful campaign performance. Once your campaign goes live, thoughtful and measured optimization becomes your primary tool for growth.

As you prepare to launch your next campaign, keep these strategies in mind and resist the urge to make premature adjustments. Trust the process, follow the best practices outlined here, and you'll be well-positioned to see success.

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