Deferred Deep Linking: how it works
Deferred deep linking sends users directly to specific in-app content, even if the app is not already installed. Deferred deep links enable seamless navigation, especially in user acquisition campaigns, by guiding users directly to the intended content after install.
What is Deferred Deep Linking?
Deferred deep linking is a marketing technique that seamlessly directs app users to specific in-app content, a specific location, or a specific page even if they don’t have the app installed. It’s an extension of standard deep linking or Universal Links (Apple), but deferred deep linking works across both iOS and Android devices and handles cases where the app isn’t already installed. When a user clicks a deferred deep link, they are redirected to the app store to download the app. The link stores the intended destination and, after the app opens for the first time, delivers the user to the specific content.
An example of deferred deep linking
When LeBron James shared his Pandora playlist on social media, followers that clicked the link were taken to a mobile web page that redirected them to an app download page for Pandora. The playlist content then displayed immediately after opening the app.
Deferred deep linking provided a seamless experience for his followers, removing the need to manually navigate within the Pandora app to find the relevant content. This process is especially effective for new app users and is often considered the best way to lead non-users from an ad to an app.
How does deferred deep linking work?
When an app user clicks a deferred deep link, the deep linking engine – a combination of a web platform and an SDK integrated into your app – checks whether the app is installed on their device. From there, a user heads down one of two paths:
Path A – App already installed: The deep linking engine recognises that the app is present and routes the user directly to the intended in-app screen. This is standard deep linking.
Path B – App not installed: The deep linking engine stores the intended destination associated with the link the user originally clicked, and then the user is redirected to the relevant app store. After the app is downloaded and opened for the first time, the SDK retrieves the stored destination and ensures the user lands within the app at the specific location they originally clicked, providing a seamless experience.
Marketers can implement deferred deep linking to drive user acquisition and engagement, as they enable new app users to download and easily access relevant content within an app. No context is lost in the download process, so no manual navigation is required. The user arrives where the link intended, attributed and 4x more likely to convert.
Why is deferred deep linking important?
Drive high-quality installs
Deferred deep linking lets you reach potential users across every channel and bring them into your app without friction. It is a key tool in user acquisition campaigns for mobile apps, ensuring that new users acquired through these campaigns experience a seamless onboarding process. It drives high-quality installs by giving users a direct path from discovery to the relevant in-app experience. Deferred deep linking also enhances ad engagements by directing users from paid campaigns to specific in-app content, even if they need to install the app first.
Improve post-install conversion
By ensuring users land in the right place, deferred deep links do much more than boost installs: they greatly improve post-install conversion. Deferred deep linking improves conversion rates by guiding users to specific content within the app that matches their intent, whether it’s a promoted product, a referral reward, or an onboarding flow tailored to the channel they came from. You get more value from the same UA budget.
Create personalized, contextual onboarding
Deferred deep linking allows you to tailor the post-install experience to match the context of how the app user arrived, boosting Day 1 retention and slashing early drop-off. With deferred deep linking, you can guide users to a specific location or personalized page within the app. This creates a more contextual onboarding experience. Different channels bring users with different expectations: a user from a referral link is not the same as a user from a retargeting ad. Deferred deep links unlock personalized onboarding.
Measure what’s working across every channel
Deferred deep linking preserves the context of the original click through the install process – so every deferred deep link is also a measurement event. You can see which campaign, creative, or channel drove the install, and connect it to what happened after. Analyzing conversion data from deferred deep linking campaigns helps marketers identify the most effective channels and optimize toward post-install events and net ROAS.
Re-engage and win back lapsed users
Deferred deep linking isn’t only for new users. It can also be used to re-engage existing app users and those who may have become inactive, by directing them back to specific content within the app. If a user has uninstalled your app, a deferred deep link in an email or re-engagement ad can route them back to a tailored in-app experience after re-installing. Winback campaigns that land users on a relevant offer, rather than a home screen, convert significantly better.
How do brands use deferred deep linking?
Brands implement deferred app deep linking to acquire new app users and to streamline the customer experience. Many brands use deferred deep links to improve engagement and acquisition across digital channels such as websites, social media, SMS, and email. Deferred deep links get users to their intended in-app destination faster, boosting conversions as well as customer satisfaction.
Some common deferred deep linking use cases are:
Referral programs
An existing app user shares a deferred deep link from inside a gaming or eCommerce app. The link carries their referral ID and a reward. When their friend clicks, installs and opens the app, the reward is already applied thanks to the deferred deep link. The referrer is credited automatically: no code entry or hunting through menus.
Paid UA marketing campaigns
A user who hasn’t opened your app in 60 days receives an email about an offer on an item they had previously viewed. A deferred deep link, included in the email, directs the user back to that exact item after re-installing, rather than a generic re-engagement screen.
Email and CRM campaigns
A user clicks on a social media ad for a specific product or in-game item. Instead of landing on a home screen after install, the deferred deep link in the ad routes them directly to the promoted destination. The intent from the ad click is preserved through the install.
QR codes – offline to app
A customer in a fashion store scans a QR code on their mobile device to take them to the brand’s app. After install, the deferred deep link in the QR code takes them directly to the relevant product page complete with reviews, sizing information and a purchase option. Deferred deep links seamlessly connect physical and external digital channels.
Web to app
A user browsing a brand’s mobile website clicks on a product they’re interested in, triggering a prompt to switch to the app for a better experience or exclusive offer. The deferred deep link carries the context of the product they were viewing on web, and opens the relevant content in the app post-install, minimizing friction and drop-off that might otherwise come from a web to app transition.
Deferred deep linking vs. deep linking
The core difference between deferred deep linking and standard deep linking is simple: standard deep linking assumes the app is already installed. Deferred deep linking handles the case where the app is not installed, routing the user to the App Store or Google Play store first and then to the intended destination post-install.
| Deep Linking | Deferred Deep Linking | |
|---|---|---|
| App installed? | Required | Not required |
| User journey | Link → in-app content | Link → App Store / Google Play → install → in-app content |
| Primary use case | Re-engagement | User acquisition & onboarding |
| Context preserved through install? | N/A | Yes |
Common challenges in deferred deep linking
While deferred deep linking is a powerful tool for app marketers, implementing it effectively comes with challenges. Addressing these is essential to ensuring a seamless user experience and maximizing the impact of your marketing campaigns.
Cross-platform consistency
Users interact with your app across a range of devices and operating systems, and each platform handles deep links differently. For example, iOS uses Universal Links, while Android relies on App Links. Both require domain verification and proper configuration to securely direct users to specific in-app content.
Attribution and measurement
When using deferred deep links, it’s critical to attribute conversions to the correct marketing campaign, creative, or channel. Solutions like AppsFlyer’s Measurement Suite or other attribution platforms can collect data on user clicks, installs, and in-app actions, tying each deferred deep link to the original campaign.
Re-engaging lapsed users
Lapsed users – those who have uninstalled or stopped using your app – often need a compelling reason to return. By using deferred deep links in push notifications, text messages, or referral links, marketers can direct users to relevant in-app content that matches their initial interest, increasing the likelihood of re-installation and engagement.
App migration
Deferred deep links can be used to guide users through the migration process from an old app to a new version or a completely new app. Attribution tools can then measure the effectiveness of these migration campaigns, providing data on user clicks, installs, and post-migration engagement.
Best practices of deferred deep linking
Getting the most value out of deferred deep linking can elevate your marketing campaigns even further. Here are our recommended best practices when using deferred deep links.
Personalize the destination
Deferred deep linking carries user context through the install – so make sure the post-install experience is as relevant as possible. General post-install screens waste the intent you’ve paid to create. The greater the relevance of the destination, the higher the chance of conversion.
Use branded, recognizable link domains
Tailor your deferred deep links with a custom domain that reflects your brand and builds trust even before the tap. Obscure or generic link domains can reduce click-through, especially in reactivation campaigns where users may be more sceptical about where a link will lead.
Always test on both platforms, in both install states
iOS and Android handle deferred deep link routing differently. Before launching any deferred deep linking campaign, test every link with the app both installed and not installed on both platforms.
Connect every deferred deep link to your attribution stack
Ensure your deferred deep linking solution is integrated in your overall attribution stack so that every install and action is measurable back to the originating marketing campaigns, channel and creative. A deferred deep link that isn’t tied to attribution is a missed measurement and optimization opportunity.
Deferred deep linking with AppsFlyer
AppsFlyer’s deferred deep linking solution, OneLink, works across every channel: paid ads, email, SMS, QR codes, referrals, web and more. It preserves full campaign context through the install, and ties every click to attribution data in the same SDK.
That means that when a user taps a link and doesn’t have the app installed, OneLink routes them through the app store and delivers them to the right in-app screen on first open. And with attribution and deep linking built into a single integration, you see the complete picture of which campaign drove the install, where the user landed, and what action they took next.
It all ties together to provide you the data you need to optimize your user acquisition spend towards post-install events and LTV.
Explore AppsFlyer’s deferred deep linking solution.
Deferred deep linking FAQs
Deferred deep linking is a technique that routes users to specific in-app content even if they don’t yet have the app installed. The user is sent to the app store to download the app, and on first open, they’re delivered to the original intended destination.
Deferred deep linking detects whether a user has the app installed when they click a link. If they don’t, it stores the intended destination, redirects them to the app store, and retrieves that destination on first app open. It routes the user directly to the right in-app screen after install.
A deep link assumes the app is already installed, while a deferred deep link routes the user to the app store first and then the intended destination after install.
The best deferred deep linking solution is one that combines deep linking and attribution in a single integration, so you can connect every install back to the campaign and creative that drove it. AppsFlyer’s OneLink handles deferred deep linking across iOS and Android and preserves contextual data through the install, tying every link to attribution data. It allows you to optimize toward post-install events, not just install volume.
When deferred deep linking is connected to your attribution stack, each link click becomes a measurable event. You can track which marketing campaigns drove the install, which in-app screen the user landed on, and what they did next. That chain of data is what lets you calculate onboarding ROI by channel and creative, and optimize UA spend toward the installs that generate actual revenue.
