Deep linking
Deferred deep linking explained: what it is and when you need it
Deferred deep linking opens the right screen after someone installs your app from a link. How it works on Android and iPhone, when it's worth adding, and how to test it.
Deferred deep linking sends a new user to a specific screen in your app after they install it from a link. Someone taps a link to a shared playlist, doesn't have your app, installs it from the store, opens it, and lands on that playlist instead of the home screen. You need it when the link promises something specific, like an invite, a referral reward or a shared item. For a plain download link, you don't.
On Android there's an exact way to do it. On iPhone there isn't, so every method is a best guess. This guide explains both, and how to decide whether it's worth adding.
How it works
A normal deep link only works when the app is already installed. The link opens the app and passes it a path, such as /playlist/42. If the app is missing, the path has nowhere to go. The visitor reaches the store, and after the install the app starts fresh.
Deferred deep linking keeps the path across the install:
- The click is saved. When someone taps the link, the link service records where they were headed.
- The visitor installs the app from the App Store or Google Play as usual.
- On first launch, the app asks whether this install came from a link. If there's a match, it gets the path back and opens that screen.
Step 3 is the hard part. Neither store tells your app which link someone tapped, so the app needs another way to connect the install to the click. That's where Android and iOS differ.
Android: the Play Install Referrer
Google Play passes a referrer parameter from the store URL to your app after install. A link service adds a click ID to it, for example https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourapp.android&referrer=click%3Dabc123. The referrer string must be URL-encoded and no longer than 512 characters.
On first launch, your app reads the value with Google's Install Referrer library and sends it to the link service, which returns the saved path. Google says the referrer stays available for 90 days and asks apps to read it once, on the first run after install.
This is exact. The click ID travels through Google Play itself, so there's no guessing.
iPhone: no referrer, only workarounds
The App Store doesn't pass a referrer or link to a newly installed app. Every iOS method is a workaround, and each has a cost:
- Clipboard. The web page copies the path, and the app reads it on first launch. Since iOS 16, reading the clipboard in code shows the user a permission prompt. A paste button that the user taps avoids the prompt but adds a step.
- Matching the click to the first launch. The service compares the click with the first app open, for example by network and time. It needs no prompt, but it's approximate. It can miss if the phone changes network between the click and the install. Apple's user privacy rules say apps may not derive data from a device to uniquely identify it, so read them before you choose a method.
- Custom product pages. App Store Connect can attach a deep link to a custom product page on iOS 18 and later. It applies when someone taps Open on that store page, not when they launch the app from the home screen later.
Apple's AdAttributionKit often comes up here, but it reports ad installs in aggregate. It doesn't give your app a path to open.
Do you need it?
Deferred deep linking adds code to your app and a dependency on a service. It's worth it when the first screen matters to the person tapping:
| Link | Needs it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Download link in your bio | No | New users expect the home screen or onboarding. |
| Friend invite or referral link | Yes | The reward or the friend should be there on first open. |
| Shared item: a playlist, recipe or post | Yes | The person tapped to see that item. |
| Promo code or offer | Usually | People expect the offer to be applied when they open the app. |
| Paid ad to a specific feature | Usually | People expect to see what the ad showed them. |
If none of your links promise a specific screen, a free smart link that routes to the right store is enough. You can add deferred deep links later without changing the link.
Build it or use a service
To build it yourself, you need a server that saves clicks, a store link that carries a click ID on Android, a matching method on iOS, and first-launch code in both apps. It's doable, but you also maintain it.
Attribution platforms such as Branch, AppsFlyer, Adjust and Kochava include deferred deep linking with an SDK, alongside paid-ad attribution. That's a good fit if you run ads and want the SDK anyway.
On URX, deferred deep links are part of Pro, at $9 a month, with no SDK. Turn it on for a link and say which screen it opens. On first launch your app sends one request to POST /api/deferred, with the Play referrer on Android or an empty body on iPhone, and gets back the path. Android uses the install referrer, so it's exact. On iPhone, URX looks for a click from the same network in the last hour and hands it over once. It keeps a keyed hash for this, not the IP address. Treat the iPhone match as best effort and make sure the app still starts well without one.
The documentation has the request and response, and the link's Deep linking tab has Swift and Kotlin to copy. For the installed-app half, see Universal Links and App Links explained.
Test it like a new user
- Delete the app from the test phone.
- Tap the link from where people will see it, such as a message or a social app.
- Install from the store page the link opened. On Android, the referrer comes from the Play Store, so a build installed from Android Studio won't have one. Install through Google Play, for example from a testing track.
- Open the app and check that it lands on the right screen.
- Repeat on iPhone on Wi-Fi, then on mobile data, and note any misses.
Start with the free link and add this when a link needs it. Claim your free link, or read about deep linking on URX.
Questions people ask
What is deferred deep linking?
Sending a new user to a specific screen in your app after they install it from a link. The link service saves where the click was headed, and on first launch the app asks for it and opens that screen.
What is the difference between deep linking and deferred deep linking?
A deep link opens a screen in an app that's already installed. A deferred deep link remembers the screen while the person installs the app, then opens it on first launch.
Does deferred deep linking work on iOS?
Only approximately. The App Store doesn't pass a referrer to a new install, so iOS methods rely on the clipboard, which shows a permission prompt since iOS 16, or on matching the click to the first launch, which can miss. Android's Play Install Referrer is exact.
Do I need an SDK for deferred deep links?
Not necessarily. Attribution platforms use an SDK. With URX your app sends one HTTPS request on first launch, with the Play install referrer on Android, and gets back the path to open.
When don't I need deferred deep linking?
When the link is a plain download link, such as the one in your bio. New users expect onboarding or the home screen, so a smart link that sends them to the right store is enough.
Sources and product references
Reviewed November 12, 2026. Platform guidance and product limits can change; use these references when you repeat a check.
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