Device Targeting: Send iPhone, Android and Desktop Visitors to the Right Place

The same link can be the wrong link depending on what someone is holding. An App Store URL is useless to an Android user. A desktop landing page is clumsy on a phone. Device targeting fixes this: the link reads the visitor's device and operating system on each click and sends every person to the destination built for them — all from one short link.

What device targeting does

When someone clicks, a Smart Link detects the device type (mobile, tablet, desktop) and the operating system (iOS, Android, and so on), then applies the rule you set:

iPhone and iPad → the App Store
Android phones and tablets → Google Play
Desktop → your website

You set the rules once; the link does the sorting on every click — and you can repoint any rule later without reprinting or re-sharing the link.

Set it up in under a minute

It's the same Smart Link form you'd use for any link — you just add one Device & OS rule:

Paste your default destination (usually your website) into the builder. Anything your rules don't cover lands here.
Turn on the Device & OS rule.
Map each one: iOS → your App Store URL, Android → your Google Play URL, Desktop → your site.
Hit create. You get one short gsl.li link.
Use that single link everywhere — bio, ads, email, QR, print.

Tip

Keep your default destination a page that works for everyone — your homepage or a universal "get the app" page. It's the safety net for any device your rules don't name.

A worked example: launching an app

Say you're promoting a fitness app and you drop one link in your Instagram bio, your newsletter, and a paid ad. Here's what each visitor should get:

Visitor	Lands on	Why
iPhone / iPad	apps.apple.com/app/yourapp	One tap to install from the App Store
Android	play.google.com/store/apps/…	One tap to install from Google Play
Desktop	yourbrand.com/app	Can't install on a laptop — show features + "text me the link"
Anything else	your default page	Never a dead end

Same link in every channel. The visitor taps once and they're exactly where they can act — no store-hunting, no wrong app store.

The gotchas that actually bite

Device routing is simple, but two things trip people up:

Watch out

In-app browsers. Taps inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook often open a cramped in-app browser, where store links can misbehave. If the goal is an app install, pair device routing with open-in-app so the link breaks out to the real app or store instead of the webview.

Note

Tablets and "desktop mode." An iPad can report as desktop when a visitor forces desktop mode. Device targeting handles the common cases automatically, and your default destination catches the rest — which is exactly why you always set one.

It stacks with country routing

Device rules and country rules live on the same link, so they combine. One link can send:

a US iPhone user to the US App Store,
a UK Android user to UK Google Play,
a desktop visitor anywhere to your website.

One URL, resolved for both where the visitor is and what they're using.

You can see what's working

Because every click passes through your link first, your analytics break down by device and OS — so you can tell whether iPhone or Android is driving installs, and where desktop traffic really goes. Bot clicks are filtered out, so the numbers are real taps.

Key takeaway

One link, set once, that sends every visitor to the destination built for their device — with a default that catches everything else and analytics that show you what's working.

Where creators and affiliates use it

App marketers promoting a mobile app across bio, ads, email and QR.
Musicians and podcasters sending listeners to the right streaming app.
Affiliates whose offer has separate mobile and desktop destinations.

One link that adapts

You shouldn't have to publish three links — "iPhone here, Android there, desktop over there." Publish one, set the device rules, and let it adapt to whoever clicks — then repoint any destination later without touching what you already shared.

Create a Smart Link and add device rules, or see how Smart Links combine device, country and app routing on a single URL.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can one link send iPhone and Android users to different app stores?

Yes. Device targeting detects the operating system and routes iOS visitors to the App Store and Android visitors to Google Play, with desktop visitors sent to the web — all from one link.

Does device targeting work with country routing?

Yes. Device rules and country rules live on the same Smart Link, so a link can resolve by both where the visitor is and what device they are using — for example, a US iPhone user to the US App Store and a UK Android user to UK Google Play.

What happens to a device my rules don’t cover?

It lands on the default destination you set, so no click is ever wasted on an unmapped device or browser.

Can I change where a device rule points after I’ve shared the link?

Yes — a Smart Link is dynamic. Update any destination (a new App Store URL, a moved landing page) and the same short link follows it, with nothing to reprint or re-share.

What about tablets and in-app browsers?

Tablets are detected as part of device targeting, and anything unusual — an iPad forced into desktop mode, or a social app’s in-app browser — falls back to your default destination. For app installs from inside apps like Instagram or TikTok, combine device routing with open-in-app so the link opens the real app or store instead of the webview.