Which link should you use

Most link advice assumes one situation. These are the six that actually determine the answer.

6 August 2026 · PAD team

Question 1: is the app already installed for most of your audience?

Yes, and you want a specific screen: universal links or App Links. No, most people are new: a store link with routing. Mixed: routing with a deep link attached.

Question 2: where will the link be tapped?

Inside social apps on iOS: you need the escape, whatever else you use. Email, SMS, QR codes and desktop: plain store links work. Mixed, which is nearly everyone: routing.

Question 3: do you need the exact screen after install?

Yes: deferred deep linking, which requires an SDK from AppsFlyer, Branch or Adjust. No: no SDK needed at all.

Question 4: how much do you spend on acquisition?

Meaningful budget: attribution matters, so keep the tracker and put routing in front of it. Small or organic: campaign tokens on the store URL are free and enough.

Question 5: can you edit the placement later?

No, because it is printed or in someone else's post: the address must be one you control permanently. Yes: less critical, though still convenient.

Question 6: do you need to know whether taps arrive?

If the answer is no, you will find out eventually anyway. Nothing else in the stack reports it.

The common answer

For most consumer apps the destination is: one routing address, campaign token at the final store URL, tracker behind it if there is one, deep link attached if the app is widely installed. That covers every branch above except the SDK-only case.