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A referral link can open your app for a friend who already has it. The harder case is a friend who must install it first: your app needs a way to recover the inviter’s identity after the trip to the app store. Android and iOS use different handoff approaches, and a recorded install alone does not prove that a referral earned a reward.

Why app referrals break between the link and the install

An invite has two distinct journeys. When the recipient already has the app, a supported app link can open it directly. When they do not, the link typically routes them to an app store; after installation, the app must recover the referral information and associate it with the new user.

This second journey is called deferred deep linking or deferred attribution: the link aims to carry referral data or a destination across the install and deliver it on first launch. A direct app link handles the installed-app case; it does not, by itself, establish that the app will recover the original invite after installation. ViaLink describes this installed-versus-uninstalled routing distinction in its deferred deep linking overview.

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How the install handoff differs on Android and iOS

Android: Play Install Referrer

Invitebase’s Android quickstart documents a flow in which a referral URL sends a new user to Google Play with a referral code in the referrer= parameter. The app then uses the Play Install Referrer API to recover that information on first launch. For recipients who already have the app, the guide uses Android App Links to open it and pass the incoming URL to the SDK. App Links also require domain-association setup in the documented implementation. See the Invitebase Android quickstart for its specific configuration.

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iOS: a separate first-launch handoff

Invitebase’s iOS quickstart says iOS has no install referrer. Its example has a landing page copy the referral URL to the clipboard as the recipient heads to the App Store, then has the app recover that URL on first launch. For recipients who already have the app, its flow uses Universal Links and an inbound URL handler. This clipboard approach is a documented vendor-specific handoff, not an invisible native install-referrer mechanism. See the Invitebase iOS quickstart.

These are implementation examples, not guarantees that every browser, device, store configuration, or link provider will behave identically. Check the current documentation for the platform and link service you choose.

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Track the referral beyond the first launch

To know whether a referral worked, connect the handoff to the later events that matter to your business. Adjust’s documented flow uses a non-sensitive referral ID in a link, attributes the install, sends an attribution callback to the app SDK, and allows the app to forward data to a business-intelligence system for referral analysis. Its user referrals documentation describes that flow and its use for assessing referral ROI.

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Instrument the steps separately so a failure can be located rather than hidden inside one “referral” total:

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  1. Invite generated
  2. Link shared
  3. Link clicked
  4. Store visit
  5. Install and first launch
  6. Referral ID or code recovered and associated with an account
  7. Signup completed
  8. Qualifying action completed
  9. Reward approved or issued

Define the qualifying action and reward rule explicitly. Invitebase’s Android quickstart gives one example: a paid-subscription campaign validates after a referred user starts a paid plan within 14 days, using a subscription_started event. That is a vendor campaign configuration example, not a general recommendation or conversion benchmark.

For subscription referrals

Apple’s member-referral presentation describes special offers for friends referred to a subscription service and recommends monitoring offer-code redemptions and the share of offer-code starters who become fully paid subscribers. Those measures help evaluate subscription conversion; they do not replace cross-platform attribution of the install itself. See Apple Developer’s member-referral presentation.

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Choose an implementation by what it must prove

Question What to verify
Does it handle installed and uninstalled recipients? Confirm direct opening for existing users and a documented deferred handoff for new installs.
How does each platform recover referral data? Check the Android and iOS flows separately; do not assume one mechanism works identically on both.
Can data be tied to a real account? Verify the referral identifier is available at first launch and can be associated with signup and the eventual account.
Can outcomes be measured downstream? Check for attribution callbacks or equivalent event delivery, then connect them to signup, qualifying actions, and reward decisions.
What app and domain work is required? Account for SDK integration, inbound URL handling, and any domain association or branded-link configuration.
How are rewards protected? Specify qualification rules, fraud controls, and server-side validation rather than issuing rewards solely because a click or install was recorded.

AppsFlyer’s branded-domain documentation says its invite referral setup requires SDK version 5.2.0 or later on iOS and Android, and describes a conversion-data caveat for branded domains. SDK requirements and product behavior can change, so consult the current OneLink branded-domain guide before relying on those details. A branded domain alone does not establish successful conversion attribution.

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What the available evidence can—and cannot—show

The cited platform and vendor documentation explains ways to implement referral handoffs and measure events; it is not independent testing of attribution accuracy across devices, browsers, or store configurations. It also does not establish a general referral conversion rate, install lift, or acquisition-cost reduction. Evaluate your own funnel by platform and by step, and use completed qualifying actions—not link clicks alone—to judge referral value.

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