Branch
Enterprise mobile growth and attribution platform
Start new thread
Mada Seghete

Branch App Store URLs - Create one link for your app on any device in 30 seconds

by
Branch
•

One link to download your iOS or Android app, or open the URL of your website. One link for any app, any platform, and any device. No more broken user experiences and no more delays.

Branch App URLs are powered by the branch.io platforms, meaning they have full attribution and support deep linking.

Add a comment

Replies

Best
Alex Jubien
Great stuff! An important point regarding this kind of tool: allowing to provide non AppStore or PlayStore url for iOS and Android. Use cases: - iOS app is launched but not Android app (or vice versa), for which an "upcoming / coming soon" landing page exists for people to suscribe and be notified at launch. You want then to propagate (articles, social media, ads, ...) a link that will drive iOS users to AppStore and Android users to the "Android coming soon" landing page. Being able to change the Android link once app is launched is crucial then (but still keeping the same Branch url, that is already in articles, social media, etc...). - iOS native app and Progressive Web App or web app on Android. Then you want the Android link to drive people elsewhere than PlayStore Unfortunately, other similar solutions don't handle these use cases properly (forcing AppStore or PlayStore URLs). Or even worse, they drive users to an in-between page with ads, before redirecting. Good news is that this Branch URLs tool seems to handle such cases perfectly! (@Branch team : keep it this way for these use cases, though I admit they're not mainstream)
Mada Seghete
@branchmetrics @alexjubien Thanks Alex! Great feedback! As you mentioned we handle those cases and allow event deeper customization at both account and link level if you use the Branch Dashboard!
Mada Seghete
Maker
This is a simple, fast way to create one link for all your app stores. Would love feedback from the PH community!!!
Justin A
@mada299 Your's looks a lot friendlier than onelink.to . But what differentiates it from onelink.to?
Mada Seghete
@mada299 @joanyanw Hi Justin, the biggest differentiation is the Branch platform behind it that provides full attribution, allows you to add additional parameters, use it for referrals etc. Our links also support Universal Links, App Links, etc.
Justin A
Jordi Mon Companys
The de facto deeplinking standard, Branch.io is covering the space with more functionality every day!
Mada Seghete
Maker
@mordodemaru Thank you for all your support and feedback over the past few years :)
Mircea Baldean
We've recently integrated the Branch functionality into MeetVibe. I love the Universal URL concept, opening certain key URLs as in-app deeplinks. Elegant! Also, the Quick Links feature helps us and our clients understand the app installation conversion rate. Great platform!
Mada Seghete
Maker
@baldean Happy to help!
Ruslan
Go, go, go! Love Branch!
Mada Seghete
Maker
@ruslannaz Yay :) Thank you!
Product Pearson
This very cool. Reminds me of Geni.us.
Nolan Clemmons
Is there an option for link retargeting like with Rebrandly? Can I attach a Google Tag Manager to the link?
Mada Seghete
@n_clemmons Yes you can use these links for retargeting - if that's what you are asking. You can attach tags as well, but you will need to do that from the Branch dashboard or the Chrome plugin: https://chrome.google.com/websto...
Alex Bauer
@n_clemmons to clarify on your questions, the URL generated by this tool is actually a standard Branch link. The tool simply pre-configures it to provide this routing behavior without requiring you to go through the full Branch integration process. Branch links don't correspond to a specific 'page' anywhere, which is what would be necessary to load a Google Tag Manager snippet (or the Rebrandly-style retargeting integration). For example, in some cases we return a HTTP 307 redirect for best speed, while in others we use a javascript-based redirect. If the app is already installed, we are often able to bypass the web browser completely. That said, the Branch platform is flexible enough that I believe there may be a way to build something like this. If you want to give it a try, feel free to hit me up!
Clyde Autin

App links are free and super easy to implement, I was really glad once we started using them

Pros:

Really easy to setup, app links are critical for marketing

Cons:

Wish instructions for deep linking were a little clearer

Mada Seghete
Maker
Thank you for the feedback! We'll work on making the instructions clearer. If you are looking for full blown deep links, you can set them up in your Branch dashboard: https://branch.dashboard.branch....
Edward Smith

It's free, it's fast, and it works. What's better than that?

Pros:

Fast links to your app across desktop and mobile.

Cons:

Deeplinks can get complicated. Fortunately there's documentation if you want to spend the time.