What is Deferred Deep Linking?

Deferred deep linking is a technique that preserves a deep link’s destination through the app store install flow. When a user taps a link, does not have the app, installs it, and opens it for the first time, deferred deep linking routes them to the original content instead of the default home screen.

The problem

Standard deep links only work when the app is already installed. Without deferred deep linking:

1. User taps a link to https://myapp.tolinku.com/product/123.
2. The app is not installed, so the user is redirected to the app store.
3. The user installs and opens the app.
4. The app has no memory of the original link. The user lands on the home screen and has to find the product manually.

How deferred deep linking works

With deferred deep linking, the original destination is preserved:

1. User taps a link to https://myapp.tolinku.com/product/123.
2. The app is not installed. Tolinku stores the link destination and sends the user to the app store.
3. The user installs and opens the app.
4. The SDK calls the Tolinku API to claim the deferred link.
5. The API returns the original path (/product/123).
6. The app navigates the user directly to the product screen.

Matching methods

The challenge is connecting the link click (step 2) with the app open (step 4) when the user’s identity changes between browser and app. Tolinku uses two matching methods:

Token-based matching (Android)

On Android, Tolinku appends a referrer token to the Play Store install URL using the referrer query parameter. The referrer string contains a tolk_token parameter with the deferred link token:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example&referrer=tolk_token%3Dabc123

After the user installs the app, Google’s Install Referrer API makes this referrer string available to the app. Your app extracts the tolk_token value and passes it to Tolinku.deferred.claimByToken(token) to retrieve the original link destination.

This method is deterministic and highly reliable.

Signal-based matching (iOS)

iOS does not support the Install Referrer API. Instead, Tolinku uses a probabilistic fingerprint approach:

1. When the user taps the link, Tolinku records device signals: IP address, User-Agent, timezone, language, and screen dimensions.
2. After install, the SDK collects the same signals from the device and sends them to the API.
3. The API finds the best match based on the combination of signals and recency.

This method is probabilistic (not guaranteed), but achieves high accuracy for links claimed within a short time window (typically minutes to hours after clicking).

Common use cases

• Referral programs. A referral link carries the referrer’s code through install. The referred user is automatically attributed to the referrer.
• Personalized onboarding. A campaign link carries context (e.g. a promo code or content preference) that customizes the first-run experience.
• Content sharing. A user shares an article or product link on social media. New users who install from that link land directly on the shared content.
• Re-engagement. An email or push notification links to a specific in-app screen. Users who uninstalled and reinstall are taken to the right place.

How Tolinku implements deferred deep linking

Every Tolinku SDK includes built-in deferred deep link claiming:

• Android SDKs use Tolinku.deferred.claimByToken(token) with the Play Store referrer.
• iOS SDKs use Tolinku.deferred.claimBySignals(appspaceId:) with automatic signal collection.
• Web SDK supports both methods for PWA or web-to-app flows.

The API endpoints used are:

• GET /api/deferred/claim?token=... (token-based)
• POST /api/deferred/claim-by-signals (signal-based)
• POST /api/deferred/signals (update signals before install)

See the Deep Links API reference for full endpoint documentation.