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My app is on the App Store and Google Play; how do I make one QR code for both?

A static code holds a single link and cannot pick a store based on the phone. The fix is a simple download page on your site with a button for each store, or a page that redirects by device if your site can do that, and then you put that page's address in the code.

Published · 2 min read

Why one store link is not enough

Put the App Store link in the code and an Android user lands on a page they cannot install from, and the other way round. Printing two codes side by side confuses people and eats space. The code the QR code generator makes stores one fixed piece of text, and all the phone does is open it, so the logic has to live in the page, not in the code.

The steps

  1. Create a page on your site with a short address such as example.com/app, with both store buttons, a picture of the app and a line about it.
  2. If your site platform supports redirecting by device, set it to send iPhone users to the App Store and Android users to Google Play, keeping both buttons for anyone on a computer.
  3. In the tool choose 'Text or URL' and paste https://example.com/app. The content is 23 bytes and the symbol 25 modules wide, small enough for a corner of the product box.
  4. Download SVG and scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, checking that each reaches its own store.

What your in-between page gives you

  • If an app link changes in either store, or you add a third store, you edit the page and the printed code stays valid.
  • You can measure visits to the page in your site analytics, which a static code does not do by itself.
  • A desktop visitor who types the address by hand finds what they need too.

Remember that the page has to stay at the same address for as long as printed boxes are in circulation. Do not move it to a new address without a redirect from the old one.

Common questions

Can the tool make a code that detects the phone type?

No. The tool makes static codes that hold a single piece of text. Detecting the device happens on your page or your site's server.

Should I print a store link under the code?

Store links are long and impractical to type. Print your short page address instead, or the app's name so customers can search for it.