Use case

Deep linking for iOS and Android

A deep link takes someone to a specific place inside your app — a product, a promo screen, a friend’s profile — instead of dropping them on a web page or the app’s home screen. LinkTrace links are ordinary HTTPS URLs: they route to the right store when the app is missing and carry the destination across the install. To open an already-installed app directly, LinkTrace serves your links from a branded subdomain and hosts the iOS and Android domain verification files for you; that is part of the Scale plan. No SDK on either platform.

Updated October 19, 2026

Start tracing — free Deep linking setup guide

What is a deep link?

A deep link is a link that opens a specific screen inside a mobile app rather than a web page or the app’s home screen. A standard deep link works only when the app is already installed. A deferred deep link also survives the trip through the app store, so first-time users land on the same screen after installing.

The three kinds of deep links

Standard, deferred and contextual deep links compared
Type	What it does	Where it breaks
Standard deep link	Opens a specific screen when the app is installed	Does nothing useful when the app is missing — the user sees a web page
Deferred deep link	Survives a fresh install and lands on the screen after first open	Matching is probabilistic, with a 24-hour window
Contextual deep link	Carries extra data — a referrer, a promo code, a product id — into the app	For new installs, depends on the same matching as a deferred link

LinkTrace supports all three. customPayload on link creation carries whatever context your app needs, on every plan; the full contextual deep linking suite is on Scale. For the install-surviving part, see deferred deep linking.

Universal Links and App Links, without the plumbing

iOS (Universal Links) and Android (App Links) both require your app to prove it owns the link’s domain, through verification files served over HTTPS — apple-app-site-association on iOS and assetlinks.json on Android. With LinkTrace, links live on a branded subdomain such as your-brand.linktrace.in, and LinkTrace hosts and serves those verification files for you.

Enter your identifiers. Under Settings › Deep Linking, add your Apple Team ID and bundle ID for iOS, and your package name and SHA-256 signing-certificate fingerprint for Android. The association is published as soon as you save.
Claim the subdomain in your app. Add an Associated Domains entry on iOS and an auto-verified intent filter on Android. Production and stage builds are configured separately.

The step-by-step version, with screenshots, is in the deep linking setup guide.

Where deep links break in practice

In-app browsers. Links tapped inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook often open in the host app’s embedded browser, where the operating system never sees the tap and Universal Links never fire. We wrote up what actually happens and the workarounds: deep links in in-app browsers.
Fresh installs. A standard deep link cannot help a user who does not have the app yet. That is the deferred case: deferred deep linking.
Platform differences. Universal Links and App Links verify and fail differently on edge cases; the Universal Links vs App Links comparison covers the details and a debugging checklist.

Deep linking with LinkTrace: what you get

Short links that detect the device and route to the App Store or Play Store, on every plan.
Deferred behaviour when the app is not installed, on every plan. The user must install within 24 hours of tapping the link. Installs outside that window return attributed: false.
Branded links on your own subdomain (your-brand.linktrace.in/r/…) that open the installed app directly, on Scale.
Link-wise click counts on every plan, an analytics dashboard from Growth, and the full contextual deep linking suite on Scale. See pricing.
Link metadata resolvable from the app with GET /api/v1/referral-links/metadata — see the API reference.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a deep link and a deferred deep link?

A standard deep link only works when the app is already installed. A deferred deep link also works for new users: it routes through the app store and restores the destination on first open. LinkTrace handles both with the same link.

Do I need my own domain for deep links?

No. LinkTrace gives you a branded subdomain (your-brand.linktrace.in) and hosts the iOS and Android domain verification files for you. Branded subdomains are available on the Scale plan. Without one, links still work: they open in the browser and route the user to the right store.

What happens when someone without the app taps the link?

They go to the App Store or Play Store. With deferred deep linking, they land on the intended screen after installing and opening the app, as long as they install within the 24-hour attribution window.

Are Universal Links and Android App Links supported?

Yes. LinkTrace serves the required verification files on your branded subdomain; you add your app’s identifiers under Settings › Deep Linking and make a small change in your app to claim the domain.

Start tracing — free plan, no credit card

Two HTTP calls, no SDK, and deferred deep linking, install attribution and referral tracking on every plan.

Start tracing Deep linking setup guide