Managed deferred links

Create Grometrics links that open your app and preserve campaign attribution through installation.

Last updated August 8, 2026

Grometrics managed deferred links open your app when it is installed and preserve campaign context when someone installs before opening. Grometrics hosts the links and app association files, so customers do not need a Branch account or Branch credentials.

Prerequisites

A workspace with Platform set to Mobile or Both in Settings > General
The Grometrics React Native SDK installed in the app
An iOS Bundle ID or Android Package Name saved in Settings
Access to create a new native app build

Note

Automatic first-install matching is currently built into @grometrics/react-native. Follow the React Native setup guide to configure it. The native iOS, Android, and Flutter SDKs can record tagged opening URLs, but they do not yet perform the managed first-install resolution described in this guide.

Steps

Save the app identity

Open Settings > General and set Platform to Mobile or Both. For iOS, save the Bundle ID, Apple Team ID, and numeric App Store ID. For Android, save the package name and production SHA-256 signing fingerprint. The Apple Team ID and Android fingerprint let Grometrics publish verified app association files.

Enable the Expo plugin

Add the Grometrics React Native plugin with the same site ID shown in Settings > Tracking. Create a new native build after changing plugin options because Universal Links, App Links, and Install Referrer support require native configuration.

Replace YOUR_SITE_ID with your site ID from Settings > Tracking.

app.config.ts

1export default {2  plugins: [3    ['@grometrics/react-native', {4      websiteId: 'YOUR_SITE_ID'5    }]6  ]7}

Handle the in-app destination

Pass onDeferredLink when creating the tracker. Grometrics calls it after recovering a first-install destination. Wait until navigation is ready before routing. Attribution is still recorded if the callback cannot navigate.

Replace YOUR_SITE_ID with your site ID from Settings > Tracking.

App.tsx

1const setup = await createReactNativeTracker({2  websiteId: 'YOUR_SITE_ID',3  navigationRef,4  onDeferredLink: ({ url }) => {5    if (url && navigationRef.isReady()) {6      openAppRoute(url)7    }8  }9})1011await setup.tracker.start()

Create the managed link

Open Settings > General > Managed deferred links and select Create link. Choose the app, add an internal name, choose a unique slug, and enter an in-app destination beginning with /. Add a web fallback and UTM values only when needed. An iOS link requires either a saved App Store ID or a web fallback URL.

Share the hosted URL

Copy the generated usegrometrics.com/l URL into ads, email, QR codes, or campaign pages. Do not replace the generated query parameters because they carry the link reference, destination, and attribution values.

Verify both paths

First tap the link on a device where the app is installed and confirm the destination opens. Then use a fresh install to confirm the first app session receives the expected source, medium, campaign, and destination. Android uses Google Play Install Referrer for deterministic recovery. iOS uses a one-time, privacy-limited match against eligible clicks from the previous 24 hours and returns Direct when a match would be ambiguous.

Options / Configuration

Option	Type	Required	Description
App	tracked app	✓	The iOS or Android app the link should open
Link name	string	✓	Internal label shown only in Grometrics
Short link slug	string	✓	Unique public link ending using letters, numbers, and hyphens
In-app destination	path	✓	App route beginning with /; use / for the home screen
Web fallback URL	URL	no	Destination used when the mobile destination cannot open
UTM Source	string	no	Traffic source recorded for attribution
UTM Medium	string	no	Marketing channel recorded for attribution
UTM Campaign	string	no	Campaign name shown in attribution reports

What happens next

Open Traffic Sources and Realtime after each verification tap. Confirm the managed link reference and UTM values appear on the app session.

Verify your setup

Save the correct app identifier and association valuesCreate a new native build with the Grometrics Expo pluginHandle onDeferredLink after navigation is readyCreate and copy a managed linkVerify the installed-app pathVerify the fresh-install path

Troubleshooting

The Managed deferred links card is missing

Change Platform in Settings > General from Web to Mobile or Both, then save.

The app is not available in the selector

Save an active iOS Bundle ID or Android Package Name in Settings > General first.

An iOS link cannot be created

Save the numeric App Store ID in Settings > General or enter a valid web fallback URL in the link form.

The installed app does not open

Confirm the app identity in Settings > General, the plugin site ID in Settings > Tracking, and the latest native build all match the selected app.

Android installs appear as Direct

Install through Google Play from the managed link. Sideloaded builds do not receive the Play Install Referrer.

iOS installs appear as Direct

The privacy-limited match expires after 24 hours and does not guess when multiple clicks are equally eligible or the network context changed.

Attribution works but the destination does not open

Confirm onDeferredLink waits for the router, accepts a path beginning with /, and maps that path to a valid app screen.

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