Deferred vs direct deep links

Deferred vs direct deep links: how each works on iOS and Android, why deferred links need a platform, how tools match installs, and which campaigns need which.

Short answer

A direct deep link opens a screen in an app that is already installed. A deferred deep link also works for people without the app: it sends them to the store and still opens the right screen on first launch. Acquisition campaigns need deferred links; messages to existing users usually only need direct ones.

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

A direct deep link opens a specific screen in an app that is already on the phone. A deferred deep link does the same for someone who does not have the app yet: it routes them to the store, waits for the install, and opens the promised screen on first launch.

Direct: works only if the app is installed. Without it, the user sees a web page or an error.
Deferred: works for everyone, but needs something to remember the destination across the install.

How does a direct deep link work?

Both operating systems open apps from ordinary web URLs on a domain you control:

Universal Links (iOS): the domain hosts an apple-app-site-association file listing your app and the paths it handles.
App Links (Android): the domain hosts an assetlinks.json file with your app's package name and signing certificate fingerprint.

If the files are right and the app is installed, the link opens the app. If not, it opens in the browser. Older custom URL schemes (myapp://) still exist, but they fail with an error when the app is missing, which is why most tools now prefer Universal Links and App Links.

How does a deferred deep link work?

The destination has to survive a trip through the App Store or Play Store, where the link itself is lost. Platforms bridge the gap in a few ways:

Install referrer (Android): Google Play passes a referrer string to the app on first launch. Dub's docs, for example, describe reading the deep link from the Install Referrer.
Clipboard (iOS): a landing page copies the link before the store opens, and the app reads it on first launch. Dub documents this as its deterministic iOS method.
Matching: the platform records the click and matches the first app open to it, for example by IP address. Dub documents an IP-based method as probabilistic.
MMP attribution: an MMP already matches every install to the click that caused it, so the same match delivers the deferred destination. Linkrunner makes every link deferred by default this way.

Install referrer: a string Google Play hands to an app on its first open, containing the parameters of the link that led to the install.

Deep Link Doctor's deferred deep linking guide covers what breaks the context after install.

Which campaigns need which?

Campaign	Typical audience	Link type needed
Paid app install ads	New users	Deferred
Creator and affiliate links	Mostly new users	Deferred
QR codes on packaging or posters	Mixed	Deferred
Referral invites	New users	Deferred
Email and push to customers	Existing users	Direct
Web-to-app banners	Mixed	Deferred

Rule of thumb: if the link might reach someone who has never installed the app, use a deferred link.

Which tools support deferred deep links?

From each platform's own pages, read on 2 Nov 2026:

On a free plan: Linkrunner (every link, by default) and Adjust (every plan, including Base for the first year).
On paid plans: AppsFlyer from its Standard tier, Dub from $27 a month, URLgenius on its Custom plan, OneLink.to on Android from $40 a month.
Documented, plan not stated: Branch, Kochava and Singular.
Not offered or not stated: Short.io's deep links fall back to the browser; Bitly's pages don't say.

The comparison table and the free deep linking tools page show the details with sources.

What can go wrong with deferred links?

The wrong user gets the destination: probabilistic matching can misfire on shared networks, such as offices or campus Wi-Fi.
The context arrives too late: the app must wait for the deferred data before routing on first launch, or users see the home screen.
Privacy prompts: reading the clipboard on iOS shows a paste notice.
Lookback windows: most platforms only match an install to a recent click.

Linkrunner's glossary defines deferred deep linking in a few lines, and the choosing guide puts it alongside the other four decisions.

Plate IFAQ

Questions

Are Universal Links deferred deep links?

No. Universal Links and App Links are direct deep links: they open an installed app from a web URL. They need a deferred linking platform on top to carry the destination through an install.

Why do deferred deep links need an SDK?

Something in the app has to ask, on first launch, which link led to the install and where to go. That is usually the platform's SDK, though some tools also let the app call an API directly.

Is deferred deep linking accurate?

It depends on the method. Android's install referrer is deterministic; iOS methods use the clipboard, a prior click on the same device, or matching, which is less certain on shared networks.

Do I need deferred deep links for email campaigns?

Usually not, because email goes to people who already use your product. If a large share of recipients have never installed the app, a deferred link avoids losing them at the store.

What is a deep linking tool?

A deep linking tool creates links that open a specific screen inside a mobile app instead of the home screen or a web page. Good tools also handle users without the app, sending them to the store and then to the right screen after install.

What is deferred deep linking?

Deferred deep linking keeps the link's destination through an app install. A user who taps a link without the app goes to the store, installs, opens the app and still lands on the screen the link promised.

Plate IIIndex