Mobile attribution

This guide walks through how to set up mobile app referral attribution.

This guide explains how to add referral tracking capabilities to your existing attribution links without creating new ones. In this guide, we’ll use Branch.io as an example.

Overview

The referral flow works as follows:

Existing user shares their unique referral link
New user clicks the link and is directed to app store
New user installs and opens the app
App receives referral data and attributes the installation
Backend records the referral during signup

Basic Concept

Instead of creating new links for each referrer, you'll append referral data to your existing Branch.io app install link:

Original: https://yourbrand.app.link/abc123 With Referral: https://yourbrand.app.link/abc123?referral_ucc=A1B2C

Data Persists Through Installation

When a user clicks the referral link, Branch.io stores the referral data (including the referral_ucc) in their servers and associates it with the user's device fingerprint. This allows the data to persist through:

App Store redirect
App download
First app launch

Data Flow Sequence

Link Click

https://yourbrand.app.link/abc123?referral_ucc=A1B2C ↓ Branch.io captures and stores: - referral_ucc: A1B2C - Device fingerprint - Click timestamp

App Installation

User installs app from store ↓ Branch SDK initializes on first launch ↓ Branch matches device to stored click data ↓ Delivers referral data to app

Accessing Referral Data in Your App

iOS Implementation

import Branch class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate { func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool { Branch.getInstance().initSession(launchOptions: launchOptions) { (params, error) in // Check if the user came from a Branch link if let clickedBranchLink = params?["+clicked_branch_link"] as? Bool, clickedBranchLink { // Extract referral code if let referralCode = params?["referral_ucc"] as? String { print("Referral Code: \(referralCode)") // Store for use during signup UserDefaults.standard.set(referralCode, forKey: "pending_referral_code") } } } return true } }

Android Implementation

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() { override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) Branch.getAutoInstance(this).initSession({ branchUniversalObject, linkProperties, error -> if (error == null) { // Check if user came from Branch link if (linkProperties?.has("+clicked_branch_link") == true) { // Get referral code val referralCode = linkProperties.get("referral_ucc") referralCode?.let { Log.d("Branch", "Referral Code: $it") // Store for signup getSharedPreferences("app_prefs", Context.MODE_PRIVATE) .edit() .putString("pending_referral_code", it) .apply() } } } }, this.intent.data, this) } }

import branch from 'react-native-branch'; function DeepLinkHandler() { useEffect(() => { // Handle deep link when app is already running const subscription = branch.subscribe({ onNewIntent: ({ error, params, uri }) => { if (error) { console.error('Branch link error:', error); return; } if (params['+clicked_branch_link']) { handleDeepLink(params); } } }); return () => subscription(); }, []); const handleDeepLink = async (params) => { const referralCode = params.referral_ucc; if (referralCode) { await AsyncStorage.setItem('pending_referral_code', referralCode); // Handle navigation or other logic based on deep link } }; return null; }

Using the Referral Data During Signup

When the user completes signup, retrieve the stored referral code and include it in your signup API call:

iOS Implementation

// iOS Example class SignupViewController: UIViewController { func completeSignup(email: String, password: String) { // Get stored referral code let referralCode = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "pending_referral_code") // Include in signup API call let signupData = [ "email": email, "password": password, "referral_code": referralCode ] api.signup(signupData) { result in if result.success { // Clear stored referral data after successful signup UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "pending_referral_code") } } } }

Android Implementation

// Android Example class SignupActivity : AppCompatActivity() { private fun completeSignup(email: String, password: String) { val prefs = getSharedPreferences("app_prefs", Context.MODE_PRIVATE) val referralCode = prefs.getString("pending_referral_code", null) val signupData = HashMap<String, String>().apply { put("email", email) put("password", password) referralCode?.let { put("referral_code", it) } } api.signup(signupData) { success -> if (success) { // Clear stored referral data prefs.edit().remove("pending_referral_code").apply() } } } }

React Native Implementation

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