What is deferred deep linking?

Deferred deep linking is a form of deep linking that delivers users to precise in‑app content even when they don’t yet have your app installed. Instead of a generic install experience, users who tap a deferred deep link without your app are first routed to the appropriate app store. After installation and first open, the original link context is “remembered” so the user lands exactly where you intended inside your app.

This capability ensures that your acquisition and engagement campaigns, from channels including social ads, search, email, QR codes, in-app advertising, and basically any other touchpoint, don’t lose momentum when users install your app mid‑journey. Deferred deep linking is available through advanced linking and attribution solutions such as Adjust’s TrueLink, and generally requires integrating a mobile SDK to resolve the link context after install.

To understand deferred deep linking, it helps to see how it fits within the broader deep linking ecosystem. At a high level:

• Direct deep links open your app to specific content if it’s already installed.
• Deferred deep links handle the case where the app isn’t installed at first touch, delivering users into the right in‑app experience after install.
• Contextual deep links (often overlapping with deferred) carry additional metadata to personalize or attribute the post‑install experience.

Deferred deep linking bridges a key user journey gap. When a user expresses intent from a marketing touchpoint but doesn’t have the app installed, you don’t want to drop them into a generic welcome screen.

At a technical level, a deferred deep link works in three stages:

1. Link click and intent capture
   A user interacts with a deep link, for example, from a social ad promoting a new product. The link encodes the destination (e.g., a specific product page or feature) and is tracked by your linking provider.
2. Fallback to app store
   If the device doesn’t have the app installed, the linking system directs the user to the relevant app store (App Store or Google Play). The link context is preserved via cookies, with the device ID, or install referral APIs depending on platform and privacy frameworks in place.
3. install and post‑install routing
   After installation and first launch, the SDK inside your app retrieves the original link context from the provider. It then navigates the user directly to the intended in‑app location.

This seamless handoff from ad touchpoint, to app install, to precise in‑app content can be make-or-break when it comes to conversion. When a user clicks an ad or content indicating it’s going to take them to a specific in-app experience, the expectation is that they will arrive there without really thinking about it. If that experience isn’t delivered, the risk of losing that user before conversion is high. 

Deferred deep linking is especially powerful when aligning marketing intent with user experience. A user taps a link in a TikTok ad for a trending product, for example, installs your app, and lands on that exact product page, ready to convert. 

Or, a returning user re-installs your app via a personalized email and is routed straight into a feature they previously used, picking up where they left off.

E-commerce, entertainment, finance, health and fitness, gaming, really any vertical that relies on mobile growth benefits from this continuity. Whether the goal is smoother onboarding, personalized re-engagement, or faster paths to purchase, deferred deep links reduce friction and keep the experience aligned from start to finish.

Deferred deep linking with Adjust’s TrueLink automatically routes users through the correct install flow and resolves the original link context on the first app open, so users land exactly where they expect and exactly where you intend for them to. 

Behind the scenes, Adjust handles the complexities of platform differences, privacy frameworks, and referral mechanisms, allowing teams to create value by using their time building better campaigns and experiences.

Because TrueLink is fully integrated with Adjust’s attribution and analytics suite, you can also directly measure the full journey from link click to post-install action without having to piece data from different tools together. All in all, this means better optimization, better outcomes, and better ROI. 

To see first-hand how TrueLink works and how Adjust can grow your app business, sign up for free or request a demo today.