Preserving User Context During Android App Installation
Article Summary
Ever lose a user the moment they install your app? That frustrating context loss between web and app has a surprisingly simple fix.
This article tackles a common mobile UX problem: users browse your mobile website, click to install your app, and completely lose track of what they were viewing. The solution uses Google Play's built-in referrer system to preserve context across the installation journey.
Key Takeaways
- Use utm_term campaign parameters in Play Store links to pass context data
- Implement a BroadcastReceiver to capture referrer data on first app launch
- Deep link users directly to content they viewed before installing
- Works with existing Google Play infrastructure, no third-party tools needed
You can preserve user context during Android app installation by passing campaign parameters through Play Store links and capturing them with a custom BroadcastReceiver.
About This Article
When users install Android apps from mobile websites, they lose track of what they were doing before. For example, someone might be looking at a real estate listing, click an install banner, and then forget which property they were viewing.
Krzysztof Kocel's team at Allegro used Google Play Campaign Parameters, specifically utm_term, to embed property IDs into Play Store links. They then built a custom BroadcastReceiver to capture this referrer data and deep link users back to the exact content they were viewing.
This approach uses Google Play's built-in referrer broadcast system without needing any third-party tools. Users stay connected to their original content from the moment they install the app through launch, which makes the experience feel seamless.
