Smart App Download Links

The scenario

You've built a mobile app available on both iOS and Android. When you share it — in emails, on social media, in ads, or on your website — you want a single link that automatically sends each person to the right store. A single link that skips the "choose your platform" step saves you a hop and keeps more people in the download flow.

How to set it up

1. Create a Redirect by Operating System link

Go to the Redirect by Operating System tool and map each OS to the right store:

• iOS → Your App Store listing (e.g., https://apps.apple.com/app/yourapp)
• Android → Your Play Store listing (e.g., https://play.google.com/store/apps/yourapp)
• Default → Your website's download page (for desktop users or anything else)

The tool detects the visitor's operating system and redirects them directly to the right store — no extra clicks, no platform selection screen.

2. Set a custom URL

Give it a clean slug like nimble.li/app or use a custom domain like go.yourapp.com/download. This is the only URL you'll ever share for your app.

3. Use it everywhere

Put the link anywhere you promote your app:

• Website — A single "Download the App" button instead of separate App Store and Play Store badges.
• Email campaigns — One link in the email body. Recipients on iPhones go to the App Store, Android users go to Google Play.
• Social media bios — One link in your bio serves all platforms.
• QR codes — Print one QR code on posters or packaging. It works regardless of which phone scans it.

What you get

• One link for all platforms — No need to maintain or share separate URLs. One link handles every operating system.
• No interstitial page — Users go directly to the right store. Skipping the "choose your platform" step removes friction and keeps more people in the download flow.
• Click analytics — See how many people clicked, broken down by device type. Useful for understanding your audience split and measuring the impact of app promotion campaigns.

Variations

Routing by device category

If the distinction between iOS and Android isn't important — for example, if you just want mobile users to go to one page and desktop users to another — use Redirect by Device instead. It routes by device type (mobile, tablet, desktop) rather than operating system.

Deep links for existing users

If you're linking to users who you know already have the app installed (e.g., in a push notification, an in-app message, or an email to existing users), you can use a deep link scheme like yourapp://settings instead of a store URL. This opens the app directly at a specific screen. See the Deep Links guide for more on non-HTTP destinations.

Tracking campaign sources

Enable parameter forwarding to pass UTM tags through to the store listing:

nimble.li/app?utm_source=homepage

This helps attribute installs to specific campaigns if your mobile analytics platform supports it.