Deferred deep link

How it works

A normal deep link only works when the app is already on the phone. If the app is missing, the operating system has nothing to open, so the person lands on a store page and the original destination is lost.

A deferred deep link saves the destination at the moment of the tap. After the install, on first open, the SDK in the app asks the linking service whether this device arrived from a recent tap. If it did, the app receives the saved destination and opens that screen in place of the home screen. The tap-to-install match behind this is described in how a tracking link carries a click to an install.

When you need one

Use a deferred deep link whenever an ad or a message promises something specific to someone who may be new: a product page, a referral reward, an invitation from a friend, a discount code. Without it, a new user installs the app, lands on a generic home screen and has to find the offer again. Many do not.

How it relates to attribution

The match on first open is the same match an MMP makes to credit an install to an ad. That is why linking and attribution are usually provided by one SDK, as explained in why deep linking and attribution are bought together. Airbridge Core includes deferred deep links in the plan.^[1]