Deferred deep linking
The link survives the install.
When someone taps a link without your app installed, they go to the store, install, and still land on the exact screen the link pointed to. No dead ends, and no IP or device fingerprinting to make it happen.
Deep linking, extended past the install
Standard deep linking opens your app when it is already installed. Deferred deep linking covers the harder case: the app is not installed yet. SwiftURL mints a one-time token at the moment of tap, hands it to the store install, and your app redeems it on first launch to recover the exact destination and in-app path. The token is opaque, single-use, and short-lived, so an edit or delete between tap and install can never move where the user lands.
A one-time, opaque token carries the destination through the store install
Android reads the Play Install Referrer; iOS reads a user-initiated clipboard token
No IP matching and no device signals, the token itself is the only credential
How it works
Tap without the app
The Deep View preview offers to get the app, and mints a one-time token.
Install from the store
The token rides along via the Install Referrer on Android or the clipboard on iOS.
Redeem on first launch
Your app posts the token to /track/open and gets back the destination and path.
Land on the right screen
The user opens exactly where the link pointed, first session included.
Privacy-first by design
Most incumbents recover the deferred link on iOS by matching people probabilistically on their IP address, which is personal data under DPDP and GDPR and exactly the fingerprinting we refuse to do. SwiftURL uses a user-initiated clipboard token on iOS and the official Play Install Referrer on Android instead. The token stores only a snapshot of the target, never a person, and it is purged after a short expiry.
Why it matters
First session counts
New installs land on the promoted content, not a generic home screen.
Cleaner attribution
A deterministic token beats guessing which install came from which tap.
Compliant by default
No IP correlation means one less privacy liability for your app.
Frequently asked questions
What is deferred deep linking?
How is the target carried through the install?
Do you use IP or device fingerprinting?
Does it need app-side work?
How long is the token valid?
Never lose the link to an install.
Turn on Deep View and deferred deep linking per domain, and wire the token in with a few lines in your app.