Use-case playbook
How app publishers can send every visitor to the right app store with one QR code
One smart QR code on packaging, posters and ads. iPhones open the App Store, Android phones open Google Play, and computers get a landing page in the visitor’s language.
Best for
App publishers, game studios, startups and brands with their own app, agencies running app campaigns
Languages
Store listings show in the phone’s language; landing pages in English plus each language you support
You can track
Scans by device, OS and country, store visits and downloads that started with a scan
The problem with static app codes
Most publishers print two codes side by side, one per store. They take twice the space, and people scan the wrong one or give up. A single static code opens one address only, so it fails half your audience or adds a tap before the store.
Many teams used Firebase Dynamic Links for store routing until Google shut the service down on 25 August 2025 (Firebase FAQ). Codes printed with them can only be replaced.
How it works
One smart QR code, four rules
Each rule is a Smart Redirect on the same smart QR code. TOL checks them in the order you created them and stops at the first match.
Select iOS and Android under both Mobile and Tablet, so iPads and Android tablets go to the store too.
- Country where the app isn’t out yet → “coming to your country” page with a waitlistOnly if this applies. Select all such countries in one rule.
- iOS, under Mobile and Tablet → your App Store listingWith Apple campaign parameters, so you can count downloads.
- Android, under Mobile and Tablet → your Google Play listingWith a UTM referrer, so you can count downloads.
- Everyone else → landing page with both store badgesThe fallback, mostly people on a computer. Add a language rule before it for each language you support.
Step by step
Set it up in TOL
- Stage 1 · Prepare
- Copy your App Store and Google Play links.
- Add store tracking: an App Store campaign link (pt and ct tokens) and a Google Play referrer with UTM tags.
- Build the landing pages with both store badges, one per language, each with its own UTM tags.
- Stage 2 · Build in TOL
- Connect your own domain, such as get.yourapp.com, before you create any codes. Premium
- Create the code with the English landing page as its standard link (the fallback).
- Add the Smart Redirects in the order above, then the language rules.
- Test on a separate code with an iPhone, an iPad, an Android phone and a computer.
- Stage 3 · Launch and look after it
- Print the code with “Scan to get the app” and both store badges next to it.
- Android launching later? Point rule 3 to a “coming soon” page and switch it to Google Play on launch day.
- Check your listings after every store change, and keep your plan paid while the materials are in use.
Where the codes goPackaging, receipts, posters, shop displays, flyers and the end card of video ads.
iPads that look like a MacSafari on iPad can report itself as a Mac, so the landing page keeps both store badges one tap away.
Change the rule, not the packaging
You print once. What you save is the second print run every time a store link changes.
| Static code | Two codes | One TOL smart QR code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right store for each phone and tablet | One store only | If people pick the right code | Yes, automatically |
| Useful page on a computer | No | No | Yes, in their language |
| Change destination after printing | No | No | Yes, in seconds |
| Space on packaging and ads | Small | Twice as much | Small |
| Scan reports by device, OS and country | None | Extra tools | Built in |
| Cost of a change | New print run | The same, twice | Your plan: Pro €9 or Premium €19/mo |
What to measure
Scans by device and OS
Shows which store matters most for your audience.
Scans by country
Shows which markets deserve a translated listing and landing page.
Store visits and downloads
Counted in App Store Connect (ct token) and Play Console (UTM).
Scans per code over time
Compare packaging, posters and displays, and spend more on what works.
FAQ
Can a QR code send iPhone and Android users to different app stores?
Yes. iPhones and iPads open the App Store, Android phones and tablets open Google Play, and computers get a landing page with both store badges.
Do I need a separate app QR code for each language?
No. The stores show your listing in the phone’s language, and computer visitors get the landing page in their language from the same code.
Can I track app downloads from a QR code?
Yes. Add Apple campaign parameters (pt and ct) and a Google Play UTM referrer; App Store Connect and Play Console then report downloads from those links.
Can I add Google Play later if the Android app launches after iOS?
Yes. Point the Android rule to a “coming soon” page, then change it to your Google Play listing on launch day. Printed codes follow the change.
Print one smart QR code that opens the right app store
Set your rules once and change them any time, without reprinting.
Keep reading: How smart routing works · QR codes for events · QR code menus · Plans