AppsFlyer. [READ]

[◬ ☥ 𝕄𝕚𝕝𝕜 ☥ ◬]

Today I'll teach you how to fully remove AppsFlyer from your PC, and prevent the Appsflyer servers from reaching your PC ever again. I see a lot lot lot of posts still getting bumped by people just discovering this so please point them here if they are confused.

Before we start, some notes. If you are still playing the game, I don't know if you should try this, but I have outlined something at the very bottom just for you. (section with VVVVV as the border), I have not done this because I still play, I did what I typed at the bottom instead. (I'd also like to add that if you are still currently playing the game, you likely cannot do these steps and MUST do the bottom. You can try it if you wish, but it's more so for people who feel burned by this game and want it entirely removed. And its also likely that upon game updates/file repair/etc the files from the bottom section will re-appear.) EDIT: as of 7/15/2024 the update did not replace the files I mentioned at the bottom. Seems to work 100%. I left the registry entries to test it, and they have not updated since I did this.

Secondly, in order to undo any of this, simply follow the steps backwards.

Thirdly, you should always make backups before you mess with stuff. In this case, backing up the HOSTS file and the registry isn't going to hurt and will indeed help if you somehow manage to mess something up, as unlikely as that is.

Fourthly, this is adapted from a script i saw floating around, because I saw a lot of people being unable to run the script, and even more people not trusting it, so instead I have broken it down into the steps it did and you may do (or not) them all manually.

Regardless, follow this at your own risk
=================================================================
Step 1: You need to be admin or have admin privileges to do almost any of this
=================================================================
Step 2:
(1) Navigate to:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
locate "HOSTS" file (it may not be in all caps, it WILL be called 'hosts')
right click, open with notepad or whatever text editor you prefer
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
(2) at the end of the file, add the following
127.0.0.1 t.appsflyer.com
127.0.0.1 events.appsflyer.com
127.0.0.1 register.appsflyer.com
127.0.0.1 conversion.appsflyer.com
127.0.0.1 sdk.appsflyer.com
save the hosts file
=================================================================
Step 3:
(1) open registry editor:
press windows key + R (or open run if you have it turned off for gamin' purposes)
type 'regedit' without the ' ' s. Confirm UAC prompt if it appears
(2) navigate to registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
(3) look for any value names that start with "AF_"
right click, delete, confirm.
(4) close registry editor
=================================================================
Explanation of each step for posterity
Step 1: self explanatory
Step 2: blocks the AppsFlyer domains (they can no longer connect to you or send anything from within)
Step 3: removes it from the registry
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This SHOULD stop them from coming back, unless they're coming from some other source like your cloud syncing (if you use one) or other things like that.

AppsFlyer not making sure they are removed on deletion is cringe but I can't really blame the devs because it's not their product its just some marketing cringe. Hopefully AppsFlyer or the devs learn from this and don't use AppsFlyer again ,especially on the PC version.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
EDIT IF YOU ARE STILL PLAYING THE GAME VVVVVV :
Btw for people who still play i just tried something with the game still installed, I deleted 2 files from the game repository these files were:
appsflyer.data
NtUniSdkAppsFlyer.dll

The game did not attempt to reacquire them. Maybe it will when game has updates but you can always just delete it again.
As of now, it has had seemingly no effect at all on the game and it also hasn't made any new startup entries, although I haven't extensively tested it so do what you wish.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


All of this being said, I don't know if the devs would be happy about this, but plenty of people aren't happy about it and also are refusing to understand what it is (mobile marketing cringe) so this is the solution I have come to.

For posterity, I would recommend only doing this if you uninstalled the game and are no longer playing. I'll try to answer any questions but I really don't want to be tech support, I laid out all of the steps in order to the best of my ability covering every angle I can think of. Hope it helps!

[TomorrowTomz]

what if you have admin Privilege and still can't do anything?

[Tachyon]

I just disabled the entries in Startup so that they don't run. I'll delete them permanently when I stop playing.

[wilson0x4d]

I created a batch file "run-oncehuman.bat" on my Desktop, based it on this and another Steam thread. It contains the following:

CD /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Once Human"
DEL appsflyer.data
DEL NtUniSdkAppsFlyer.dll
cmd.exe /c "set __COMPAT_LAYER=RunAsInvoker && ONCE_HUMAN.exe --start_from_launcher=1"

Game seems to run fine for me, ensures the two files you identified are removed on every run. Will continue using this until there is a problem.

Would be nice to see a compilation of command-line switches for this game. I heard the launcher supported choosing DX12 for example, most likely passed as a command-line switch, but visually scanning binaries i can't suss it out anywhere.

Thanks for the info, regardless! :thumbsup:

[◬ ☥ 𝕄𝕚𝕝𝕜 ☥ ◬]

Originally posted by Tachyon:

I just disabled the entries in Startup so that they don't run. I'll delete them permanently when I stop playing.

That works too, thats what I did, but if you delete those 2 files at the bottom it doesnt even update in run anymore (like for example that number going up every launch)
Either way works I just know some people are very paranoid about it so I wanted to give them an option.

Originally posted by TomorrowTomz:

what if you have admin Privilege and still can't do anything?

Frankly, I don't know it's too vague. Are you a lower user account? I don't know. It's too open ended it could be a lot of things but the first thing I would assume is that there is some account above you in privledges (like an admin account or something). I don't know I only operate on the single account, if you elevate you should be "admin" for those things at least temporarily, best wishes. If it's specifically about your reg and stuff thats not working I would just google it you'll probably find more helpful info sorry!

Originally posted by wilson0x4d:

Would be nice to see a compilation of command-line switches for this game. I heard the launcher supported choosing DX12 for example, most likely passed as a command-line switch, but visually scanning binaries i can't suss it out anywhere.

Thanks for the info, regardless! :thumbsup:

I'd like to know that too I don't know the engine well enough, personally. Also, happy to help have a wonderful time gamin'

[Reimei Shinsetsu]

Originally posted by TomorrowTomz:

what if you have admin Privilege and still can't do anything?

so ensure you right click notepad and run as administrator first then open the host file within the administrator running notepad

[Wruce Bayne]

Now do the same for gameguard, you know the shady anti-cheat your heckin wholesome helldivers2 devs used in the game but didn't bother you at all.
O wait, you don't even remember anymore but you most likely still have all that crap on your std ridden pcs haha my bad

[◬ ☥ 𝕄𝕚𝕝𝕜 ☥ ◬]

I've never played helldivers in my life nor do I use reddit thank you

[TomorrowTomz]

Originally posted by Reimei Shinsetsu:

Originally posted by TomorrowTomz:

what if you have admin Privilege and still can't do anything?

so ensure you right click notepad and run as administrator first then open the host file within the administrator running notepad

I think i got it, thank you for helping me

[Llednar]

google AppsFlyer you see that they are an analytical tool used to track installs game time and all other boring stuff you get to see in a board meeting. since you dont get that in a pc software, unlike for android and app store you can see all those analytics by default.

[Nabbo.Letale]

wikipedia: AppsFlyer is an SaaS mobile marketing analytics and attribution platform. Founded in Israel in 2011, the company is now headquartered in San Francisco, ...

[Rooster]

I just disabled it from loading on startup. No need to remove registry entries...Currently don't have OH installed so no files for it to access... but I am half tempted to install it to see/get the files.

If you are not familiar with the Windows Registry....Don't do this. Just leave it be. The files are not intrusive and the registry entry become null with the game is uninstalled.

[wilson0x4d]

"Just leave it be. The files are not intrusive"

Installing into a registry key and running on every system run and/or user login is the very definition of "intrusive". From a security perspective this creates an unnecessary attack vector that wouldn't otherwise exist. Nobody wants that.

Also, the registry keys themselves are a tracking ID even when NULL, which means you're tracked between installs. You're tracked even if you disable the binaries in startup and the/a game initializes AppsFlyer internally (most likely for conversion tracking of in-game purchases.)

If you're so inclined.. the best course of action is to delete the binaries, delete the registry keys, rewrite the DNS records in hosts file and if you're feeling particularly apt then also deny all the traffic to AppsFlyer IP Addresses on your internet router. Because steam updates will redeliver the binaries you're also wise to write a batch file to remove the files just before launching the game to ensure it doesn't intrude again so -- you know -- you don't have to manually do it again and again.

Discouraging data privacy makes very little sense, and people learn by doing.. +shrug+