The Bridgly Blog
One link for every app store.
Route iOS, Android, and web from a single URL — with QR codes and click analytics built in.
See how smart links work
One URL that decides the destination per visitor.
Fundamentals
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Bitly vs Dub vs Bridgly: picking by job
Bitly shortens. Dub pays digital partners. Bridgly routes app installs and ties physical QR scans to attributed sales and commissions.
Article
Deferred deep linking, explained without the jargon
Deferred deep linking carries a destination across an app install, so a new user lands where they were headed instead of your home screen. Here is how the matching works, why it is never perfect, and when it is worth the setup.
Article
App Links vs Universal Links: what differs and what does not
Android App Links and iOS Universal Links solve the same problem with different plumbing. Here is what each verification file does, why you need both, and the mistakes that stop them verifying.
QR codes
Article
QR code tracking: what you can measure and what you cannot
A QR code is just an encoded URL, so tracking scans means tracking that URL. Here is what a scan can and cannot tell you, how to tell print placements apart, and why static store links waste the whole exercise.
Article
QR codes for app downloads: what actually works in the wild
QR codes fail for boring, physical reasons — size, contrast, placement, and dead destinations. Here's what to get right so scans turn into installs, and why a static store link on a poster is a mistake.
Growth
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Web to app: moving mobile web visitors into your app
Most mobile visitors land on your website, not your app. The handoff between the two is where installs are won or lost. Here is what works, what annoys people, and how to measure it honestly.
Article
Referral links that actually work on mobile
Most referral programs leak at the same point: the invited friend installs and lands on a generic home screen with no idea who invited them. Here is the plumbing that keeps a referral intact.
Article
One link in bio for iOS and Android: stop splitting your traffic
Social bios allow one link, but apps ship on two stores. Here's why link-in-bio pages add a step that costs installs, and how a single routing link solves it without an intermediate page.
Attribution
Article
UTM parameters for app campaigns: a naming convention that survives
UTM tags are trivial to add and easy to ruin. Here is a naming convention that still reads clearly after a hundred campaigns, and the specific mistakes that make app campaign data useless.
Article
Branch vs AppsFlyer vs a link platform: which do you actually need
Branch and AppsFlyer are mobile measurement partners built for multi-network paid acquisition. Most teams comparing them do not need either yet. Here is where the line falls and what the cheaper answer looks like.
Article
Mobile attribution basics: why install numbers never match
Your ad platform, your store console, and your analytics will all report different install counts. Here's why that is expected, what each source actually measures, and how to reason about the gaps instead of chasing them.
Troubleshooting
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Why links break inside Instagram, TikTok and other in-app browsers
A link that works fine in Safari can fail inside a social app's built-in browser. Here is what those environments do differently, which failures you can fix, and which you have to design around.
Article
Firebase Dynamic Links is gone: what to migrate to
Firebase Dynamic Links shut down on 25 August 2025 and existing links now return 404. Here is what actually replaced it, what you lose with each option, and how to migrate without breaking links already in the wild.
Article
In-app browsers are where install links break
Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn open links in their own embedded browsers, which handle redirects and URL schemes inconsistently. Here's what breaks, how to detect it, and how to build a link that survives.
Recently published
What is a universal install link (and why two store links lose installs)
Deep links vs universal links vs App Links: the differences that matter
QR codes for app downloads: what actually works in the wild
One link in bio for iOS and Android: stop splitting your traffic
Mobile attribution basics: why install numbers never match
