Deep Linking
Direct, deferred, and contextual links — and when to use each.
A deep link points at a specific place inside your app rather than the home screen. LinkTrail supports three flavors, and most apps use all three.
| Type | User has app? | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | Yes | OS opens the app straight to the path. |
| Deferred | No | User installs first; the path is delivered on first open. |
| Contextual | Either | Path plus custom data personalizes the first screen. |
The install gap
The browser can't hand parameters to a newly installed app — the stores sit in between and strip context. Without a deferred deep link, every install from a 'see this product' link lands on your home screen and the intent is lost. LinkTrail closes that gap: on first launch the SDK matches the install to the click and delivers the same link.
The link object
Every SDK delivers the same link shape to onLink (field casing varies slightly per language):
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| path | The in-app destination to route to — falls back to / when none is set. Route on this. |
| customData | String key/value payload configured on the link (voucher codes, referrer IDs, …) |
| campaign / channel / utm | Campaign metadata for your own analytics |
| slug / url | The link's short slug and canonical URL |
| iosUrl / androidUrl / fallbackUrl | The routing destinations configured on the link |
| source (2nd argument) | deferred (first launch after install) or reengagement (app was installed) |