Does iTunes pass referral parameters on iPhone once app is installed?

Question

Is there any provision in iOS wherein the referral parameters used to start the iTunes application are passed on to the application on its first run?

For example in

Answer 1

We also struggled with this when we built our last mobile app, Kindred Photobooks. The best way we found is to basically bundle that information in the link and use fingerprinting to make that data available after install, which is working really well.

You can try to build fingerprinting in in house. Basically the steps would be the following: 1. When a link gets created, appending parameters to the link, or create a link reference in some backend database if you want shortened links 2. When a user clicks on that link, collect a fingerprint of their device from everything you can read in the browser (for example: IP, OS, screen size, etc) and redirect that user to the app store. 3. When the app opens, create a similar fingerprint from the same parameters collected in app, and match it up in your database to the outstanding fingerprint. 4. If there is a match, you can return those link parameters to the app through install.

Alternatively, if you don't want to build all that infrastructure and handle the many edge cases, we bundled it up into a free service called Branch. Check it out at http://branch.io

Answer 2

As of iOS6, if someone installs your applications via a smart banner, you can pass a url to your app on startup. You do this by using the app-argument parameter:

A URL that provides context to your native app. If you include this, and the user has your app installed, she can jump from your website to the corresponding position in your iOS app. Typically, it is beneficial to retain navigational context because:

It should work on install:

When the app finishes downloading [after clicking install on an app banner], the View button changes to an Open button, and tapping the banner will open the app while preserving the user’s context from your website.

More here: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/PromotingAppswithAppBanners/PromotingAppswithAppBanners.html

I think this will work (but the jury is still out: Does app-argument on Apple Smart Banner get passed to app on install? ), but testing this is tough: How to test Smart App Banner Urls on in Dev environment

Answer 3

No, there is no such thing on iOS. But you can and should file a feature request at bugreport.apple.com, if you really need this feature.

Answer 4

No, AppStore doesn't pass any parameters to application - it just unzips ipa to application folder (container).