QR Code for App Download: One Code, Both App Stores

A QR code for app download opens your app's store page when someone scans it. The catch is that most apps have two store pages, one on the Apple App Store and one on Google Play, and a poster has room for one code. The fix is a code that checks the phone and sends each person to the right store. You can create a QR code for app download on QRelix with the App Stores type: paste both store links, and iPhones go to the App Store while Android phones go to Google Play. No credit card is needed, and each free code works for its first 50 scans.

How a QR code for app download works

A QR code holds a short piece of text, usually a web address. An app download code does not hold either store link. It holds a short QRelix link. When someone scans, that link looks at the phone's operating system and forwards the person to the matching store listing. Someone on an iPhone lands on your App Store page. Someone on an Android phone lands on your Google Play page. Nobody has to pick a store or search for your app by name.

Because the printed pattern holds the short link and not the store addresses, the code is dynamic. You can change either store link later without reprinting, and every scan is counted in your dashboard. The QR code types guide describes the App Stores type alongside the others.

What you need before you start

• Your Apple App Store link. Open your app's page on the App Store in a browser and copy the address. It looks like https://apps.apple.com/app/id123456789.
• Your Google Play link. Open your app's page on Google Play in a browser and copy the address. It looks like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yourcompany.yourapp.
• A plan for where the code will go. A code on a box, a code on a booth banner, and a code in an email are read from different distances and should be counted separately.

If your app is on one store only, you do not need device detection. Make a URL code that opens that one listing.

How to make the code, step by step

Step 1: Create a free account

Sign up for QRelix with an email address and a password. No credit card is needed.

Step 2: Choose the App Stores type

Click Create New QR Code. The types are grouped, and App Stores sits under Deep Links.

Step 3: Paste both store links

The form has two fields: Apple App Store URL and Google Play Store URL. Paste the two addresses you copied. Check each one by opening it in a browser first, because a typo here sends half your audience to an error page.

Step 4: Name the code

Name it after the app and the placement, such as "Member app, front desk sign" or "Member app, March mailer." The name is how you will tell codes apart when you read the scan numbers.

Step 5: Design it

Set your colors, add your app icon or logo to the center, and pick a pattern. Keep dark squares on a light background. QRelix warns you if a design may be hard to scan. The design guide covers the options.

Step 6: Generate and download

Generate the code and download it. Use SVG for anything printed, because it stays sharp at any size. Use PNG for slides, emails, and web pages.

Step 7: Test on both kinds of phone

Scan the code with an iPhone and with an Android phone. Confirm each one opens the right store and the right app. Do this before the print order goes out. A wrong link can be fixed later, but a code printed too small cannot.

A worked example

A yoga studio with about 400 members launches a booking app. The owner makes two App Stores codes that point to the same two store listings. One goes on a sign at the front desk. The other goes in the footer of the printed class schedule.

After three weeks the desk sign shows 160 scans and the schedule shows 22. About seven in ten scans come from iPhones. The owner learns two things: the desk is where members decide to install, and the iPhone version deserves the first round of bug fixes. The schedule code stays on the free plan. The desk sign passed 50 scans in its first week, so the studio moved to Pro to keep it working.

Where to put an app download QR code

• Packaging and inserts. A card in the box that says "Scan to set up your device in the app" reaches people at the moment they need it.
• Counter signs and table tents. Staff can point to the sign while they explain what the app does.
• Receipts. A loyalty or ordering app fits the bottom of a receipt. Dynamic QR codes on receipts covers sizing for thermal printers.
• Event booths and slides. Keep the code on screen long enough for the back row to scan it. QR codes for event marketing has placement ideas for booths and badges.
• Mailers and catalogs. Give each mailing its own code so you can compare which one drove more scans.
• Your website on a desktop screen. Someone reading on a laptop can scan with their phone and skip searching the store.

Track scans and installs

Each scan of a QRelix code is logged. The dashboard shows total scans, unique visitors, the city, region, and country of each scan, the device type, the operating system, the browser, and the time. The operating system split is the useful number for an app: it tells you how your audience divides between iPhone and Android at each placement. The analytics guide lists everything the dashboard records.

Tracking is per code, so make one code for each placement. How to make a trackable QR code walks through comparing placements.

A scan is not an install. QRelix counts the scan and hands the person to the store, and the store counts what happens next. Both stores let you tag a link so installs are reported by campaign. Apple calls these campaign links and reports them in App Store Connect. Google Play reads a referrer value added to the listing address and reports it in the Play Console. If you use tagged links, try pasting the tagged versions into the two fields, then scan the code and confirm the store address still carries your tag before you print. Website analytics will not see these visits, because the scan opens a store page and not your site.

Print size and wording

• Size. Print the code at least 2 cm by 2 cm (0.8 inches) for something held in the hand, and at least 5 cm (2 inches) for a sign read from 1 to 2 meters. A banner read from 3 meters or more needs about 15 cm (6 inches).
• Margin. Leave clear space on all four sides, about four of the code's small squares wide.
• Wording. Say what the scan does and that it works on both phones, such as "Scan to get the app. iPhone and Android." People scan more readily when they know what will open.
• Surface. Matte stock scans better than gloss, which can catch glare under store lighting.

The printing guide has the full size table.

What a QR code for app download costs on QRelix

• Free ($0, no credit card). Unlimited dynamic QR codes, every QR code type including App Stores, editable destinations, custom colors and logo, print-ready 300 DPI SVG downloads, and real-time scan analytics. Each code works for its first 50 scans and shows a brief QRelix screen before forwarding. After 50 scans the code pauses until you upgrade. Nothing is deleted.
• Pro ($5.99 per month). Unlimited scans so codes never pause, no QRelix screen, and the security suite: password protection, expiration dates, and geofencing.

A code in a pitch deck or on a short run of beta tester cards fits the free plan. A code on retail packaging or a storefront sign will pass 50 scans quickly, so plan on Pro before that print run. Dynamic QR code cost works through the numbers, and the pricing page lists both plans.

Questions about app download QR codes

Can one QR code work for both iPhone and Android?

Yes. The App Stores type takes an Apple App Store link and a Google Play link. The scan checks the phone and opens the matching store.

Do people need a scanner app?

No. The built-in camera on an iPhone or Android phone reads the code and shows a link to tap.

Can I change the store links after the code is printed?

Yes. Every QRelix code is dynamic. Edit the code in your dashboard, save, and the printed code sends the next scan to the new link. How to edit a QR code after printing shows the steps.

Does an app download QR code expire?

The free plan has no trial timer. Each free code works for its first 50 scans, then pauses until you upgrade, and paused codes are not deleted. On Pro, scans are unlimited.

Can I see how many people installed the app?

QRelix shows scans, not installs. Install numbers come from App Store Connect and the Google Play Console. Comparing scans with installs for the same week tells you how many people who reached the store page went on to download.

Make your app download QR code

Create a QR code for app download on QRelix with no credit card. Paste your two store links, test on both phones, and print one code that works for everyone. Each free code works for its first 50 scans, and Pro at $5.99 per month removes that limit.