Open in the app, not the browser
A link to your Instagram opened in a browser asks people to log in. A deep link opens the Instagram app, where they already are.
What you get
Popular apps
Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Safe fallback
If the app is not installed, the normal web page opens instead.
Works with rules
Combine with destination rules and A/B tests on the same code.
QR or Smart Link
Use it on printed codes and on short links in bios and ads.
How it works
- 1
Create a dynamic code or Smart Link for a supported app.
- 2
Turn on "Open in the app when possible".
- 3
Scan it on a phone with the app installed to check.
What a deep link does
A normal link to a profile or video opens the website, often logged out and behind a sign-in wall. A deep link asks the phone to open the app instead, on the exact profile, video or chat, where the person is already signed in. One tap later they follow, subscribe or message you.
Where deep links help most
Use them on codes and links that lead to Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify, WhatsApp or Telegram: in-store signs, packaging, influencer bios, email footers and ads. If the app is not installed, the normal web page opens, so nobody hits a dead end.
Some in-app browsers, such as the one inside Instagram, block switching to another app. In that case the web page opens instead.
How to set one up
Create a dynamic code or a Smart Link and paste the profile, video or chat link from one of the supported apps. Turn on "Open in the app when possible" and save. Then test it on a phone that has the app and one that does not, so you see both the app and the web fallback.
Deep links work together with destination rules and A/B tests on the same code, and every scan is counted as usual.
Deep links questions
In-app, people are logged in and one tap from following, subscribing or buying. In a browser, many give up at the login wall.
They get the normal web page.
In-app browsers sometimes block app switching. The web page opens in that case.
Yes. We use each platform’s own way of opening the app, and fall back to the web page.
Yes, on any dynamic code or Smart Link for a supported app.