One Link for the App Store and Google Play
One link that reads the device that opened it and sends iPhones to the App Store, Android phones to Google Play and laptops to your website. Here is how the redirect works, how to build one in a few minutes without touching your app, and what to test before it goes on a poster.
Skip the guide and make your link now
- Free plan, no credit card
- Unlimited clicks on every plan
- Links keep working even if you cancel
How does one link work for both the App Store and Google Play?
A single store link is a short redirect URL. When someone opens it, the redirect server reads the User-Agent header that every phone sends with a request, matches it to a platform and answers with an HTTP 302 to the right store page. iPhones get your App Store listing, Android phones get Google Play, and anything that is neither, such as a laptop or a link crawler, gets the web address you set as the default.
Nothing is installed on the phone and nothing changes inside your app. The store URLs are the same public links you already have; the smart link only decides which one to serve. That is why a link like appy.to/yourapp can sit on packaging, in an email footer or in a TikTok bio and do the right thing in each place.
The one thing a plain redirect cannot do is open an app that is already installed. That takes a deep link on top of the store URLs. Appy tries the deep link first on mobile and falls back to the store after a few seconds, on the Pro plan and up.
Where one link sends each device
This is what the Appy redirect service does with each request. It is taken from the routing code, not from a feature page.
appy.to/yourapp
one link, one QR code
- iPhoneYour App Store listing
- Android phone or tabletYour Google Play listing
- Huawei phone without Google servicesHuawei AppGallery, when you add that URL
- iPadThe iPad-only App Store URL if you set one, otherwise the default destination
- Laptop, desktop or smart TV browserThe default destination, usually your website
- App already installed, deep link enabledThe app opens; the store is only the fallback (Pro and up)
How to create one link for the App Store and Google Play in Appy
The whole thing is one form with three steps, and only the first one is required. Have your two store URLs and a web page ready.
- 01
Copy your two store URLs
Open your app in the App Store and in Google Play and copy the listing addresses. They look like apps.apple.com/app/id123456789 and play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourapp. If your Play link came out of an ad tool with extra parameters, or you are not sure which App Store format to use, the link format guide covers every variant.
App Store and Google Play link formats, explained - 02
Set the default destination
Create a free Appy account and choose New link. Step 1 asks for the default destination: the URL visitors reach when no store rule matches. Put your website or a landing page here, not a store URL, because desktop visitors will land on it.
- 03
Paste the store URLs as platform overrides
Step 2 has one field per store: iOS App Store, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery and an optional iPad-only App Store URL. Fill in the two you have. Any field you leave blank sends that platform to the default destination instead.
- 04
Choose the short link
On the free plan the short link is generated for you. Pro lets you pick one, so appy.to/yourapp reads well on a poster or in a bio. Slugs are at least five characters of letters, numbers and dashes.
- 05
Test on three devices before anything is printed
Open the link on an iPhone, an Android phone and a laptop. You should see the App Store, the Play Store and your website, in that order. Then download the QR code from the link page and scan it with the phone camera. The scan goes through the same redirect, so it must behave the same way.
- 06
Add a deep link when you want installed users to skip the store
On Pro, Step 3 takes a custom scheme such as yourapp://open. Appy tries it first on mobile and moves on to the store after a few seconds, so nobody is left on a blank page. Every attempt is recorded, so you can see how many visitors already had the app.
Do you need a tool, or can you build the redirect yourself?
You can build it. A dozen lines of JavaScript that read navigator.userAgent and set window.location will send phones to the right store, and for a weekend project that is enough. The trouble starts when the link is printed, shared by other people or expected to report anything.
What the free plans actually allow
Three services on the first page of results for this search offer a free plan. They differ in the place that matters most for a printed link: what happens after the clicks run out.
| Service | Free links | Free clicks | After the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appy | 4 | Unlimited, on every plan | There is no limit. Links keep redirecting on every plan and after you cancel, with no ads on any plan, including Free. |
| onelink.to | 3 | Unlimited, ad-free up to 1,000 a month for 3 months | Ads can appear on your redirects |
| 1LINK.IO | 5 | 100 a month | Redirects stop once the limit plus a 10% buffer is used up |
Three things that break a one-link setup
Instagram, TikTok and Facebook open links in their own browser
Store pages still load there, but custom-scheme deep links are often blocked, so installed users may see the store instead of the app. Test the link from inside each app, not only from Safari or Chrome.
Instagram and TikTok routing, platform by platformiPads ask for the desktop version of websites
Since iPadOS 13, Safari on iPad identifies itself as a Mac by default. A redirect sees a desktop and serves your default destination, so put both store badges on that page and nobody is stranded.
A store URL printed straight onto packaging cannot be changed
If the app is renamed, moves to a new listing or launches on AppGallery, the printed code still points at the old address. A smart link’s destinations can be edited any time while the slug and the QR code stay fixed, and Appy keeps redirecting even after a paid plan is cancelled.
Questions people ask before making the link
- How can I create one link that works for both the App Store and Google Play?
- Use a smart link: paste your App Store URL and your Google Play URL into one link and share that instead. Appy does this on the free plan. The link reads the device and redirects to the matching store, with your website as the default for everything else.
- Is there a free way to make one link for Android and iOS?
- Yes. Appy’s free plan has 4 links and 4 QR codes with unlimited redirects and no credit card. It uses generated short links, and there are no ads on any plan, including Free.
- Do I need an SDK or a change in my app?
- No. The link redirects between public URLs, so it works with the app you already shipped. Native SDKs exist on the Enterprise plan for deferred deep linking, but a store link never needs one.
- What happens when someone opens the link on a desktop?
- They land on the default destination from Step 1, usually your website or a landing page. Desktop browsers, smart TVs and link crawlers all take this route, so give that page both store badges.
- Does the link open my app if it is already installed?
- Only with a deep link, which is available from the Pro plan. Appy then tries the deep link first on mobile and falls back to the store after a few seconds. Without one, everyone reaches the store page, where the store shows Open for an installed app.
- Can I put the link in a QR code?
- Every Appy link comes with a QR code you can download and print. Scans go through the same redirect, so one printed code sends iPhones to the App Store and Android phones to Google Play.
- Will my link stop working if I downgrade or cancel?
- No. Appy’s written guarantee is that every link and QR code keeps redirecting until you delete it, on every plan and after you cancel. That is the point for printed codes, which you cannot recall.
- Can I track installs, not just clicks?
- Appy records every redirect with device, OS, browser, country and referrer. On Android the link’s slug is passed in the Google Play install referrer, so your app can read which link installed it. iOS exposes no install referrer to a web link, so for App Store installs add App Store Connect campaign parameters to the URL you paste.
- Does one link cover Huawei AppGallery too?
- Yes. Add the AppGallery URL in its own field and Huawei phones without Google services go there instead of Google Play.
Related Appy resources
Tools and guides for the steps that come after the link exists.
- QR code for the App Store and Google Play for print sizes, quiet zones and scan testing.
- Universal Link Validator to test iOS Universal Links and Android App Links once you add deep links.
- Branded QR Code Generator for a styled code that points at your smart link.
Continue exploring
One Link for the App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery
A Google Play link is a dead end on a Huawei phone. Learn how one smart link routes every Android visitor to a store that actually exists on their device.
QR Code to App Store and Google Play: Use One Scan for Both
Create one QR code that routes iPhone users to the App Store, Android users to Google Play and everyone else to your website, with analytics.
UTM Parameters for App Campaigns: A Practical Guide
What each UTM tag is for, a naming system that stays clean, values for every app channel, and what really happens to your tags at the App Store and Google Play.
Looking for something else? Browse all topics on the blog.
Ready to create your first smart link?
Paste two store URLs, get one link and one QR code. Free plan, no credit card, and the link keeps working if you ever cancel.