Migrating from Firebase Dynamic Links
Google has shut down Firebase Dynamic Links. Dynalinks covers the same core use cases: links that open your app on iOS and Android, store and web fallbacks, social previews, and deferred deep linking after install. This page maps Firebase concepts to Dynalinks and walks through the migration.
How Firebase concepts map to Dynalinks
| Firebase Dynamic Links | Dynalinks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Firebase project with a URL prefix such as example.page.link | A project with a subdomain such as example.dynalinks.app | Create one in the Console. See Getting started. |
Custom domain (for example links.example.com) | Custom domain under Settings > Custom Domain | Pro feature. Point the domain to Dynalinks with a DNS record and click Verify domain. |
| iOS and Android apps added to the Firebase project | Apps registered under iOS Apps and Android Apps | See iOS setup and Android setup. |
| Short links created in the Firebase console or with the REST API | Links with a Path, created in the Console or with the REST API | Example: https://example.dynalinks.app/spring-promo. |
Short link suffix (SHORT option) | Shortened path | Pro feature. See URL shortening. |
Long links built manually (?link=...&apn=...&ibi=...) | Unnamed links | Pro feature. Same query parameter format, see the table below. |
Deep link (link parameter) | Url field on a link | Where desktop visitors are sent. Your app receives the Dynalinks URL and can read the link data through the SDK. |
Social meta tags (st, sd, si) | Social title, Social description, Social image url | Rendered as Open Graph and Twitter card tags. |
Fallback links (ifl, afl) | iOS fallback URL, Android fallback URL | See Fallback URLs. |
Skip the app preview page (efr=1) | Enable forced redirect | See Forced redirect. |
| App preview page | Dynalinks preview page | Shown when the app is not installed and forced redirect is off. |
iTunes Connect analytics (pt, ct) | Apple Provider Token, Apple Campaign Token | Pro feature. Dynalinks adds mt=8 to the App Store URL for you. |
| Google Play campaign attribution | Referrer field | Pro feature. Passed to Google Play as the install referrer. |
| Firebase Dynamic Links SDK | Dynalinks iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native SDK | Handles incoming links and deferred deep linking. |
| Deferred deep linking (link survives the install) | Deferred deep linking through the SDKs | Pro feature. See iOS and Android. |
| Click analytics in the Firebase console | Analytics tab in the Console | Basic shows the last 24 hours, Pro keeps longer history. See Free and Pro plans. |
Long link parameters
If you built Firebase links by hand, you can keep the same query string and change only the host. For example:
https://example.page.link/?link=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fproducts%2F5&apn=com.example.app&ibi=com.example.app&st=Spring%20salebecomes:
https://example.dynalinks.app/?link=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fproducts%2F5&apn=com.example.app&ibi=com.example.app&st=Spring%20salePro feature
These Firebase parameters are supported:
| Parameter | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
link | The deep link. Desktop visitors are redirected here. | Required. Must be a URL-encoded http or https URL. |
ibi | iOS bundle ID of the app to open | Must match an iOS app registered in the project. Unknown values are ignored. |
apn | Android package name of the app to open | Must match an Android app registered in the project. Unknown values are ignored. |
ifl | Where to send iOS users who don't have the app | |
afl | Where to send Android users who don't have the app | |
efr | Skip the preview page and go straight to the store | Pass 1 or true. |
st | Social preview title | |
sd | Social preview description | |
si | Social preview image URL | |
pt | App Store provider token | Must be used together with ct. |
ct | App Store campaign token | Must be used together with pt. |
If neither ibi nor apn matches a registered app, the visitor is redirected straight to link on every platform.
Dynalinks also accepts two parameters that Firebase did not have: referrer (Google Play install referrer) and ide (iOS deferred deep linking). See Unnamed links for the full reference.
These Firebase parameters are not supported and are ignored:
| Parameter | What to do instead |
|---|---|
isi (App Store ID) | Not needed. Dynalinks uses the AppStore ID of the iOS app registered in your project. |
ofl (fallback for other platforms) | Not needed. Desktop visitors always go to link. |
amv, imv (minimum app version) | Handle version checks in your app. |
ius (iOS custom scheme) | Use Universal Links. A Custom URL Scheme can be set on the iOS app for Facebook App Links tags. |
ipbi, ipfl (iPad-specific app and fallback) | There are no iPad-specific settings. Use ibi and ifl. |
at, mt | mt is added automatically when pt and ct are set. |
utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content, gclid | Put Android campaign data in referrer, for example referrer=utm_source%3Dnewsletter%26utm_campaign%3Dspring. |
d=1 (debug flow diagram) | Not available. Use iOS debugging and Android debugging. |
Migration steps
1. Create a project and register your apps
Follow Getting started to create a project, pick a subdomain and register your iOS and Android apps. Use the same bundle ID, Team ID, package name and signing certificate fingerprints as in Firebase.
2. Decide on a domain
- Your Firebase links used a
page.linkdomain. That domain belongs to Google, so links on it can't be moved. Use your Dynalinks subdomain (or a custom domain on Pro) and update the places where you share links. - Your Firebase links used your own domain. On Pro, add the same domain under Settings > Custom Domain and update its DNS record. Recreate your links with the same paths and existing URLs keep working.
3. Update your app configuration
- iOS: in Signing & Capabilities > Associated Domains, replace
applinks:example.page.linkwithapplinks:{subdomain}.dynalinks.app(or your custom domain). See iOS setup. - Android: in your intent filter, replace the
page.linkhost with your Dynalinks domain. See Android setup.
You can keep the old entries until your users have updated to the new app version.
4. Recreate your links
- Short links: create them in the Console or in bulk with the REST API. The upsert endpoint creates or updates a link in one call, which is convenient for imports. Paths can contain letters, digits, hyphens and slashes.
- Long links: change the host as shown in Long link parameters. No import is needed.
Remember that the Basic plan includes 100 links per project. Larger imports need Pro.
5. Replace the Firebase SDK
Remove the Firebase Dynamic Links SDK and add the Dynalinks SDK for your platform:
If you only need links to open the app and you read the URL yourself, no SDK is required. See Receiving link in your app.
6. Test
Tap a migrated link on a phone with the app installed and on one without it, and open it on a desktop browser. See Test the link on a phone.