Firebase Dynamic Links shut down: a simple alternative for app download links
, 4 min read
For years, Firebase Dynamic Links were the default way to share one link for an app. Someone tapped it, and Firebase sent iPhone users to the App Store, Android users to Google Play, and everyone else to a website.
That service is gone. Google shut Firebase Dynamic Links down on August 25, 2025, and the links you created with it no longer work. If your app's share button, website, emails or QR codes still point to a page.link address, your visitors are hitting an error page instead of your app.
This guide covers what happened, what to replace your links with, and how to fix the places they still live.
What happened to Firebase Dynamic Links
Google announced the shutdown in 2023 and gave developers two years to move. After the shutdown date, Firebase says that every Dynamic Link returns an HTTP 404 ("not found") response, and the API for creating new links stops working. The Firebase SDKs won't crash your app, but they won't do anything useful either.
There is no setting to turn them back on and no way to export them as working links. Every yourapp.page.link/... address you shared is now a dead end.
Want the short way?
Smart App Link gives you one link that opens the App Store on iPhone and Google Play on Android. Free, no card.
Which replacement do you need?
Firebase Dynamic Links did a few different jobs, and the right replacement depends on which ones you used:
| What you used Dynamic Links for | What to use now |
|---|---|
| Sending people to the right store to download your app | A smart app link (store redirect) |
| Opening a specific screen in your app when it's already installed | Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) |
| Opening a specific screen after someone installs the app (deferred deep linking) | A dedicated deep-linking provider |
Most apps only ever used the first one: a single "download our app" link in a bio, a website button, an email footer or a printed QR code. If that's you, the fix is quick.
Replace a download link in two minutes
A smart app link does the job your Dynamic Link used to do. It looks at the device of the person who taps it and sends them to the right place:
- iPhone and iPad go to your App Store page, opening the App Store app directly.
- Android goes to your Google Play page, opening the Play Store app directly.
- Desktop goes to your website, or to a page with both store buttons.
Here's how to set one up with Smart App Link:
- Copy your App Store link (it looks like
https://apps.apple.com/app/id1234567890) and your Google Play link (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourcompany.app). Not sure where to find them? See how to find your App Store and Google Play links. - Create a free smart link and paste both store links, plus your website if you have one.
- Pick a short name, for example
smartapplink.app/r/yourapp. - Open the link on an iPhone and an Android phone to check it.
The free plan covers 3 links and 200 clicks a month, so you can test it properly before you change anything that matters.
Update the places your old link still lives
A new link only helps once people can find it. Go through this list and replace every page.link address you find:
- Your app's share button. If your app builds a Dynamic Link when someone taps "Share", it's now sharing a broken link. Switch it to your smart link and ship an update. (If your app is built with Expo or React Native, here's how to add a share button.)
- Your website. Download buttons, banners and footers.
- Social profiles. Instagram, TikTok and X bios, YouTube descriptions, pinned posts.
- Email. Signatures, newsletter footers and automated welcome emails.
- Ads and app listings. Any campaign that still links to the old address.
- QR codes. Printed QR codes can't be edited, so anything with a
page.linkQR code needs reprinting. Make the new QR code point to your smart link. You can make one for free.
One lesson from the shutdown is worth keeping: if a link is going to be printed or shared widely, it should be one you can change later without reprinting anything. With a smart link, you can update the store or website it points to at any time, and every existing QR code and post keeps working.
What about deep links into your app?
To be clear about what a smart app link does and doesn't do: it gets people to the store so they can download your app. It doesn't open a particular screen inside your app.
If you used Dynamic Links to open specific content, such as a product, a profile or an invite, when the app is already installed, Google recommends the platforms' own systems: Universal Links on iOS and App Links on Android. Both let a normal https:// link on your own domain open your app directly. If you need content to open after a fresh install, you'll need a deep-linking provider built for that.
Many apps use both: Universal Links and App Links inside the app, and one smart link in every place where the goal is simply "go download the app".
The short version
- Firebase Dynamic Links stopped working on August 25, 2025, and old links now show an error.
- For download links, replace them with a smart app link that sends each device to the right store.
- Update your share button, website, bios, emails and QR codes.
- For in-app deep links, use Universal Links and App Links.
Create your free smart link and swap out your first dead link today.