01
Every old link now fails
Google says links on page.link and on custom domains return a 404 to anyone who taps them. That includes the QR code on last year's billboard.
THE PROBLEM
What broke on 25 August 2025
02
page.link domains are gone
Google removed every .page.link domain, so those links can't be pointed anywhere else. They have to be replaced.
03
New users land in the wrong place
Dynamic Links sent people without your app to the store, then to the right screen after install. Without a replacement, they get your home screen, if they get the app at all.
04
Your link history is being deleted
Google marked link and domain data for deletion on the shutdown date. If nobody exported it, the list of what you had may already be gone.
05
Link stats stopped too
Google's Dynamic Links APIs, including link stats, now return errors. Campaigns that relied on them went quiet.
WHERE WE HELP
How we move you off it
01
Find what you had
We list every link still out there: in emails, QR codes, social bios, ads and your own app. From your export if you have one, and from your code and campaigns if you don't.
02
Pick the replacement
Branch, AppsFlyer OneLink, or plain App Links and Universal Links, based on what your links actually need to do. Not on what's easiest for us.
03
Rebuild and test
New link domains, deep link routing in the app, and tests on real iOS and Android phones, with and without the app installed.
04
Start counting again
Connect the new links to your attribution and analytics, so campaign clicks and installs show up where they should.
YOUR OPTIONS, COMPARED
| Criterion | Branch | AppsFlyer OneLink | App Links and Universal Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opens the app if it's installed | Yes, with Universal Links and App Links Source: help.branch.io | Yes, with App Links, Universal Links and URI schemes Source: support.appsflyer.com | Yes, that's what they do Source: developer.apple.com |
| Right screen after a new install (deferred deep linking) | Yes Source: help.branch.io | Yes, from the Standard deep linking plan Source: appsflyer.com | Not built in: without the app, people go to your website Source: developer.android.com |
| Your own link domain | Yes, a subdomain or root domain, plus a default app.link domain Source: help.branch.io | Branded domains from the Advanced deep linking plan Source: appsflyer.com | Yes, they run on your own domain Source: developer.apple.com |
| QR codes | Branded QR codes through the QR Code API, on Engagement Pro Source: help.branch.io | Short links and QR codes on the free Zero plan Source: appsflyer.com | Any QR code that holds your link |
| Entry plan | Basics, with a free trial. Prices aren't published Source: branch.io | Zero, free, but not for apps with paid activities Source: appsflyer.com | Free, but you build and host it yourself Source: firebase.google.com |
| Migration guide from Dynamic Links | Yes Source: help.branch.io | Yes Source: support.appsflyer.com | Yes, from Google Source: firebase.google.com |
Checked against each product's own documentation on 14 October 2026. Products change; tell us if something here is out of date.
STEP BY STEP
- 01Start from your Google Takeout export if you made one. If not, rebuild the list from your code, your campaigns and anything printed.
- 02Decide what each link has to do: open the app, survive an install, carry campaign data, or all three.
- 03Choose the replacement, and put it on a link domain you own, so a shutdown like this can't catch you again.
- 04If you ran Dynamic Links on your own domain, you may be able to point that domain at the new provider so printed QR codes keep working (Branch documents how). page.link links can't be saved.
- 05Update the app to handle the new links, then test on real phones, with and without the app installed.
- 06Swap the links in emails, ads, bios and templates, and reprint anything that used page.link.
- 07Connect the new links to your attribution and analytics, and check the numbers line up.
WORTH KNOWING
In the interest of fairness
Branch and AppsFlyer are both partners of ours. Google's own FAQ also names Adjust, Airbridge, Bitly, Kochava and Singular, and suggests plain App Links and Universal Links if your links only need to open an app people already have.
RELATED GUIDES
You might also want to read.
FAQS
The questions people ask us first.
Do my old page.link links still work?
No. Since 25 August 2025 they return a 404 error page, and Google has removed the .page.link domains, so they can't be redirected. They need replacing.
Can I still export my old links?
Google offered an export through Google Takeout and marked link data for deletion on the shutdown date, so it may no longer be there. If someone exported before then, find that file: it's the quickest way to see what you had.
Do we need Branch or AppsFlyer, or will App Links do?
If your links only need to open the app for people who already have it, App Links and Universal Links can be enough, and they cost nothing but the setup. If people who install from a link should land on the right screen, or you need campaign data from your links, you want a provider.
We already use AppsFlyer or Branch for attribution. Is this a big job?
Usually a smaller one, because their SDK is already in your app. Most of the work is setting up links and routing. We scope it properly before you commit to anything.
Can you keep our existing short links?
Only if they were on your own domain, not page.link. Then the domain can sometimes be pointed at the new provider. We check this first, because it decides whether anything needs reprinting.
OTHER WAYS WE CAN HELP
Get connected
Plan your move off Dynamic Links.
Tell us roughly how many links you had and where they live. We'll tell you honestly how big the job is.