A refer-and-earn flow that actually attributes, with deep linking

THE PROBLEM

Referrals only work if the link survives the journey: tap it without the app installed and you should land in the store, then in the right place after install — with the referrer credited. Naive share links drop that context and quietly break attribution, so rewards never get paid and growth stalls.

APPROACH

• Implemented deep links and deferred deep links with Branch.io so an install-then-open flow still lands on the intended screen.
• Encoded the referrer and campaign in the link and passed it through install attribution to the backend.
• Built the refer-and-earn UI: unique share links, invite tracking, and reward state.
• Handled the cross-platform edge cases — cold start vs warm start, iOS vs Android link handling, app-not-installed fallbacks.

WHAT WAS HARD

• Deferred deep linking: preserving referral context across an App Store / Play Store install.
• Making attribution reliable enough to pay real rewards against — no double-credit, no lost credit.

IMPACT

• Referral links that route correctly whether or not the app is installed.
• Reward attribution the growth team could trust.

SEE IT LIVE