Note: this guide is for new Branch

This guide covers the new Branch experience. For legacy Branch, see the legacy guide.

This guide takes your team from your first sign-in to Branch Links that open your app and measure how your users interact with it. Work through the four steps in order, because each builds on the one before it:

Step	Who usually does it	What you get
Set up your account	Admin	Your team in Branch and a link domain
Connect your app	Mobile and web developers	Branch Links that open your app on a real phone
Measure what matters	Marketers and developers	Tracked events, attribution settings, and a released app
Launch your first campaigns	Marketers	Campaigns running in the channels you use

The Branch setup list on your Home page tracks many of these tasks. Some settings in this guide appear only if your account includes them, so your Home page might list fewer tasks than this guide covers.

Before you begin

To complete this guide, you first need people in these roles:

• An admin for your Branch account.
• A developer for each platform your app runs on, and a web developer if you plan to add Branch to your website.
• A marketer to choose your events and run your campaigns.

1. Set up your account

An admin usually does this step.

Sign in for the first time Admin

How you sign in the first time depends on how your account started.

• If you signed up on the Branch website, Branch asks you to verify your card.
• If Branch or a teammate set up your account, use the link in the email we sent you to set your password.

Invite your team Admin

Add your teammates now, so each of them can start on their part of setup. To invite each person, go to Configuration > Security & Access > Team and select Add team member. For the full steps, see Team (New).

When you choose each person's Access level, give developers and marketers Admin, or choose Custom and select the permissions they need.

Give an outside company access

If you have an enterprise account, give agencies and other outside companies access from Configuration > Security & Access > Third Party instead of adding their people to your team. Each third party works from its own Branch account. You choose which of your apps it can access. If you plan to have the third party add Branch to your app or change app settings, give it Full access. See Manage Third Party Access.

Check your time zone Admin

Your app has one time zone that your whole team shares. If you signed up on the Branch website, it starts as America/Los Angeles. To change it, go to Configuration > App Settings > General and use the Your time zone setting.

Choose your link domain Admin

Your link domain is the first part of every Branch Link. It looks like yourapp.app.link unless you use your own domain. Choose it now, because your developers add it to your app in the next step.

Caution

If you change your link domain later, existing links on the old domain stop redirecting.

If your account uses Advanced Compliance

Advanced Compliance limits which link domains you can use. Before you choose, read the Advanced Compliance guide.

To set your link domain, go to Configuration > Link Controls > Link Appearance. In the Link Domains section, select Change App.link Domain, or select Add a Custom Domain to use your own domain. For the full steps, see Link Appearance (New).

You're done with this step when your teammates have joined and your link domain shows the name you want.

2. Connect your app

Your mobile developers usually do this step, with help from a web developer if you're adding Branch to your website. To connect your app, you first need these details:

• For iOS, your app's URI scheme, App Store link, Bundle ID, and Apple App Prefix.
• For Android, your app's URI scheme, Google Play link, package name, and SHA256 certificate fingerprints.
• Your website's address.

Your account has a live app and a test app. Each has its own Branch Key, link routing rules, and Liveview events. To work in the test app, select Testing in the app menu at the top of the sidebar. If you see a Test mode switch at the top of the page, you can turn it on instead. If you build with the test key, set the link routing rules in the test app too.

Set your link routing rules Developer

Branch needs your app's details before a link can open it. Fill in the settings for each platform your app runs on, and skip the rest.

1. Go to Configuration > Link Controls > Link Routing Rules.
2. Under Web Routing, enter your Default URL. Links go there when no other redirect applies.
3. Under Mobile Routing, enter the Android and iOS details you gathered. To show the fields for your SHA256 certificate fingerprints, Bundle ID, and Apple App Prefix, select Enable App Links and Enable Universal Links.
4. Select Save Changes.

For what each setting does, see Link Routing Rules (New).

Add the Branch SDK Developer

The Branch software development kit (SDK) lets your app open from Branch Links and send events to Branch.

You'll need your Branch Key, which is in Configuration > Security & Access > Credentials.

Add the Branch SDK to each platform your app runs on, using that platform's guide:

• iOS
• Android
• React Native
• Flutter
• Web, on every page where you plan to track visits or show banners
• Other plugins and wrappers

If your account uses Advanced Compliance

Complete the required steps in Advanced Compliance before you release, including the step you ask Branch Support to complete.

Route users in your app Developer Marketer

When someone opens your app from a Branch Link, the Branch SDK passes your app the link's data. Your app uses that data to show the right screen.

1. Agree with your marketers on what data your links will carry, such as a product ID or the screen to open.
2. Follow In-App Routing to open the matching screen from that data.

For the link data keys Branch supports, see the Deep Linking Full Reference.

Test on a real device Developer

Check that a Branch Link opens your app on a real phone. If your build uses the test key, switch to the test app before you start.

1. Install your build on your phone.
2. Open your app once.
3. Add your phone in Configuration > Testing & Monitoring > Test Devices with its advertising ID. To find the ID, see Add and Manage Test Devices (New).
4. Create a Short Link with the link data your app uses to choose a screen, as described in Create links and QR codes.
5. Go to Configuration > Testing & Monitoring > Liveview.
6. Set the event type to open, and then select Update Query.
7. Open the link on your phone.
8. Check that your app opens to the right screen and that Liveview shows an open event.

Test a new install

Branch counts only one install per device. Unless you refresh your test device first, Branch records a reinstall instead of an install. To test a new install:

1. In Test Devices, select the three-dot icon for your phone, and then select Refresh device.
2. Uninstall your app.
3. Set the event type in Liveview to install, and then select Update Query.
4. Open the link on your phone.
5. Install your build.
6. Open your app.
7. Check that the install shows in Liveview.

Each platform has its own testing guide for deeper checks. See iOS SDK Testing, Android SDK Testing, or Web SDK Testing. If a link doesn't open your app, see iOS SDK Troubleshooting or Android SDK Troubleshooting.

You're done with this step when a Branch Link opens your app on your phone and an open event shows in Liveview.

3. Measure what matters

Marketers and developers usually do this step together.

Choose and track your events Marketer Developer

Marketers choose the actions that matter to your business, such as sign-ups or purchases. Developers then use the Branch SDK to track each one in your app and on your website. For the kinds of events Branch supports and how to track them, see Track Branch Events. To trigger web events from Google Tag Manager (GTM), see GTM Web Setup.

Set attribution windows Marketer

An attribution window is how long Branch keeps crediting a link or ad for an install or event after someone clicks the link or sees the ad. Each window has a default length. To change one, go to Configuration > Attribution > Attribution Windows.

The same tab also has these settings:

• (Recommended) Turn on Predictive Aggregate Measurement (PAM) to attribute more of the iOS installs that would otherwise show as unattributed. PAM is Branch's attribution model for iOS.
• (Optional) Add your website's host names in the SEO section to attribute sessions that start from search engines and AI chat agents.

Add host names for search attribution

Enter each host name exactly as it appears in search results, without the https:// prefix. For example, www.example.com matches, but https://www.example.com doesn't. For your app to get credit, your developers need to set up Universal Links and App Links on those hosts. For search engine optimization (SEO) and AI optimization (AIO) setup, see SEO + AIO Implementation.

For details on these settings, see Attribution (New). If you run iOS ad campaigns, also set up SKAdNetwork (SKAN) on the SKAN tab. SKAN is Apple's framework for measuring installs from iOS ads.

Release your app and website Developer

Before you release, ask your marketers whether they plan to use Branch Links in email, send data to data partners, or attribute search traffic. Each can require changes to your app or website.

Check that each event you track shows in Liveview. If your build uses the test key, switch to the test app first. Before you trigger each event, set the event type to its category and select Update Query, because Liveview shows only events that arrive after the query starts.

Then release:

1. If your build uses the test key, switch it to the live key.
2. Release a version of your app that includes the Branch SDK and the events you track.
3. If you added the Branch Web SDK, deploy your website.

You're done with this step when your test events show in Liveview and your release includes them.

4. Launch your first campaigns

Marketers usually do this step. Set up the channels you use, in any order, and skip the rest.

Create links and QR codes Marketer

A Short Link is a Branch Link you can share in any channel. Each one has its own QR code. To create one, go to Campaigns > Links, select Create, and then select Short Link. On the Link Data tab, add the keys and values your app uses to choose a screen. For the full steps, see Create Short Links (New).

For other ways to create links, see Create Links (New). To brand your QR codes, go to Configuration > Link Controls > Link Appearance and use the QR Code section. See Link Appearance (New).

Run paid campaigns Marketer

In Configuration > Integrations > Ad partners, connect each ad network you buy ads from. See Ad Partner Integration Guide (New).

After you connect a partner, check these settings on its page:

• Each partner uses your app's attribution windows unless you turn on Override global app settings on the partner's Attribution windows tab.
• To see ad spend next to your results, connect cost data on the partner's Cost Import tab. See Ad Partner Cost Import Overview (New).

To tag or block suspicious traffic with rules, go to Dynamic Defense. See Dynamic Defense Overview (New).

Move website visitors into your app Marketer

A banner shows website visitors a call to action that opens your app. Create a banner campaign in Campaigns > Banners. Make sure your website already has the Branch Web SDK. See Banners Overview (New).

Use Branch Links in email Developer Marketer

Email service providers send links through a click tracking domain, which stops Branch Links from opening your app. For most providers, your developers need to fix this before you connect the provider. They point your click tracking domain to Branch and add it to your iOS app's associated domains. See Email Integration for Developers.

Then connect your email service provider:

1. Go to Configuration > Integrations > Email.
2. If Branch asks how email links behave when your app is installed, choose the option that matches your app's in-app routing, and then select Confirm & continue.
3. Select your email service provider.
4. Select Enable.
5. Enter your click tracking domain.
6. If the dialog asks for it, enter your provider's domain or IP address.
7. Under When the app isn't installed, choose where links go.
8. Select Confirm & enable.

Share and export data Marketer

To send Branch data to your analytics tools, connect them in Configuration > Integrations > Data. Some partners need extra Branch SDK setup. For details, see Data Integration Implementation Guide (New). To check that data reaches a partner, view its webhook records in Liveview. See Liveview (New).

To download raw data, go to Configuration > Exports. To pull Branch data into your own systems, choose one of the Data APIs.

Check that it's working

After people start using your links, these tools show what's happening and alert you to changes.

• Liveview shows clicks, installs, opens, and events as they arrive.
• Analysis dashboards show how your links and campaigns perform over time.
• With Alert Notifications, subscribers get an email about postback failures, ad partner connections that lose access, and changes to partner or account settings.

Get help

If you get stuck, submit a ticket to Branch Support. For live training and courses, see Branch University.