Make one now with the dynamic QR code generator, open Routing on the code, and use the App download preset. Free, no SDK, no sign-up, editable after you have shipped it.
What shut down, and what it took with it
Per Google's own Dynamic Links deprecation FAQ, every FDL link stopped resolving on 25 August 2025, on page.link subdomains and on custom domains alike. FDL bundled three capabilities that are worth separating, because the right replacement depends entirely on which one you were relying on:
- Platform routing. Desktop gets a web page, iPhone gets the App Store, Android gets Play. No SDK involved, and this is the part most projects used.
- Deep linking. If the app is installed, open a specific screen rather than the home screen. Needs app-side support.
- Deferred deep linking. That destination survives an install, so a brand-new user lands on the right screen after downloading. This is the hard part, and it is what the paid platforms sell.
Which replacement fits which need
| If you need | Use | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Platform routing only | A dynamic link or QR with device rules (this site) | Free |
| Open the app directly when installed | Apple Universal Links + Android App Links, which you host yourself | Free, app work required |
| Deferred deep linking and install attribution | Branch, AppsFlyer OneLink | Paid, quote-based |
| Full control, no vendor | Your own redirect endpoint plus the two association files | Your time |
The trap is buying an attribution platform to solve a routing problem. Attribution is worth its price when you are paying for installs and need to know which campaign produced them. If you just want one QR code on a poster to work for both phones, that is a redirect rule.
What this does
- One link, one QR code, three destinations. Rules match on iOS, Android, phone, tablet, desktop, macOS, Windows or country, in the order you set, with your main destination as the fallback.
- Editable after it ships. Change a store URL or add a country rule without reprinting the code or updating your listing.
- Nothing to install. Routing runs at the edge, so there is no SDK, no build, and no app review to wait for.
- You can see how it splits. Each scan records which rule matched, so the iOS/Android/desktop mix is a number rather than a guess.
What this does not do
Worth being blunt, because the wrong tool here wastes a print run:
- No deep linking into an installed app, and no deferred deep linking after an install.
- No install attribution and no ad-network postbacks.
- No custom short domain yet, so links look like
toolember.com/r/aB3xk2Q. - Nothing here needs a paid plan, but if you only want a fixed image with a URL baked into it, the static QR code generator is simpler, and what "free" means across QR providers is worth reading before you commit a print run to anyone's redirect service.
- Every scan redirects straight through, on every plan, with no interstitial page in the way.
One code, both stores, five minutes
10,000 free links with routing rules, unlimited scans, no sign-up, editable anytime.
Create a routed linkShutdown date and behaviour are per Google's Dynamic Links deprecation FAQ. Third-party capabilities and pricing change often; check each vendor's own site for current details. Firebase, Branch and AppsFlyer are trademarks of their respective owners and this page is not affiliated with any of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Firebase Dynamic Links shut down?▾
On 25 August 2025. Per Google’s own deprecation FAQ, all Dynamic Links stopped working on that date, including links on page.link subdomains and on custom domains, and creating new links had already been switched off before then. Anything still pointing at an FDL URL is a dead link today.
What exactly did it do that now needs replacing?▾
Three separate things, and most projects only used the first. One, platform routing: a desktop visitor got a web page while a mobile visitor got the app or the relevant app store. Two, deep linking: if the app was installed, a specific screen opened instead of the home screen. Three, deferred deep linking: that destination survived an install, so a new user landed on the right screen after downloading. Replacements differ by which of the three you need.
What does Toolember replace, and what does it not?▾
It replaces the platform routing, for free. One short link, which is also a QR code, sends iOS scanners to the App Store, Android to Google Play, and everyone else to your website, with the rules editable after you have printed or shared the code. It does not do deep linking or deferred deep linking, and it does not attribute installs. If you need a specific in-app screen to open after an install, you need Branch or AppsFlyer, not this.
Do I need an SDK or any app-side change?▾
No. Routing happens at the edge, before the scanner reaches your destination, so there is nothing to install in your app and no build to ship. That is also the limit: because nothing runs inside your app, we cannot open a screen inside it.
Is it really free, and what is the catch?▾
10,000 links, unlimited clicks or scans, routing rules included, no card and no sign-up needed to create one. Every scan redirects straight through, on every plan, with no interstitial page in the way.
Can I keep using my old page.link URLs?▾
No. Those hostnames stopped resolving at shutdown and cannot be recovered or claimed, so any printed material or App Store listing that referenced one needs a new link. If the old link was on a custom domain you control, you can point a new short link at the same destinations and reuse the domain in your own materials.
What are the other options?▾
Branch and AppsFlyer OneLink do the full job including deferred deep linking and attribution, and are priced for companies that need attribution. Apple Universal Links and Android App Links are free and open your app directly, but they are a domain-to-app association, not a routing service: you still need something to decide where a scanner without the app should go. Building it yourself is a redirect server plus the two association files. This page is for the case where platform routing is all you were using FDL for.