How to see which QR code brought each new app user

What it does

A normal app QR code can count scans, but the trail stops at the app store. You can see that 300 people scanned Jane's code, but not how many of them installed the app or signed up.

App install attribution follows the scan through the store. When someone opens your app for the first time, the app asks BetterQR which QR code they came from. BetterQR answers with the code, its campaign and tags, and how sure it is. Your app can then pass that to your own analytics, and tell BetterQR when the person signs up.

Who can use it

• An organization on the Enterprise plan. It uses the BetterQR API, which is part of Enterprise. See pricing.
• Mobile App QR codes. The code needs your App Store link, Google Play link and a website fallback.
• A small change to your app. Your developer adds one call on first launch. It takes about a day.

What people see when they scan

On Android, nothing changes. The scan goes straight to Google Play. BetterQR adds a hidden scan ID to the store link, which Google hands to your app after install.

On iPhone, people see a short “Get the app” page with your app name, an optional invite message (for example, “Jane invited you. Get a free first deal.”) and one button. Tapping it copies a link and opens the App Store. When your app first opens, iOS asks once whether it may paste from the clipboard. Apple doesn't pass anything through the App Store, so this copy step is how an iPhone install is matched exactly.

People who'd rather not copy can tap Continue without copying. People on a computer still go to your website fallback.

What the results mean

Every install gets one of three labels:

Each scan can credit only one install, so one shared link can't earn credit twice. If two different codes look equally likely for a probable match, BetterQR credits neither.

How to set it up

1. Turn it on for your QR code. Create or edit a Mobile App QR code and switch on App install attribution. Add your app name and, if you like, an invite message for the iPhone page. Do this for each code you want to track, such as one per ambassador.
2. Create an app key. Go to Settings → API keys, select Create key and choose the App (publishable) scope. Copy the key: it starts with bqr_pk_ and is shown only once. An app key can only report installs and events, so it's safe to put inside your app. Never put a normal API key in an app.
3. Send the key and this guide to your developer. The app needs to call BetterQR once on first launch, and optionally when someone signs up. The developer section below has the code.
4. Decide on network matching. In Settings → API keys → App install attribution you can turn on Match installs by network. This adds the probable matches described above. It's off by default (see privacy below).
5. Check your results. Open the QR code in your dashboard. The App installs card shows exact and probable installs, plus any events your app reports, such as signups.

For your developer

On first launch only, call POST /v1/app/open with the app key. Send the Google Play install referrer on Android, or the clipboard link on iPhone. Here's an Expo / React Native version:

import * as Application from "expo-application";
import * as Clipboard from "expo-clipboard";
import * as Device from "expo-device";
import { Platform } from "react-native";

// Run once, on the very first launch (keep a "done" flag in storage).
export async function reportFirstOpen() {
  const ios = Platform.OS === "ios";
  const body = {
    installId: ios
      ? await Application.getIosIdForVendorAsync()
      : Application.getAndroidId(),
    platform: ios ? "ios" : "android",
    osVersion: Device.osVersion ?? undefined,
    language: Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().locale,
    timezone: Intl.DateTimeFormat().resolvedOptions().timeZone,
    installReferrer: ios
      ? undefined
      : await Application.getInstallReferrerAsync().catch(() => undefined),
    // Only read the clipboard if it holds a link, to avoid a needless prompt.
    clipboardUrl:
      ios && (await Clipboard.hasUrlAsync())
        ? (await Clipboard.getUrlAsync()) ?? undefined
        : undefined,
  };

  const res = await fetch("https://api.betterqr.app/v1/app/open", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "x-api-key": "bqr_pk_…", "content-type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify(body),
  });
  return res.json(); // { match, qrCode, campaign, ... }
}

The answer includes match (exact, probable or organic) and the QR code's name, slug, tags and campaign. Save these to your analytics as user properties (for example, PostHog $set_once) so later events are attributed too. Calling again for the same install returns the same answer, so retries are safe.

When the person signs up, report it:

await fetch("https://api.betterqr.app/v1/app/event", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "x-api-key": "bqr_pk_…", "content-type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ installId, name: "signup", externalId: user.id }),
});

You choose the event names, such as signup, first_order or first_booking. Use lowercase letters, digits and underscores, starting with a letter (up to 40 characters). Each name counts once per install, so sending it again is safe. An install can have up to 20 different names. The App installs card shows your six most common events.

Use your own user ID as externalId, never an email or name. The full reference, with every field and error, is in the API docs under “App attribution”.

Testing before launch

1. Put a build on TestFlight (iPhone) or the Google Play internal testing track (Android). The store link in your QR code must point at that listing, because Google only passes the scan ID through Play.
2. Uninstall the app from your test phone.
3. Scan the QR code with the phone's camera. On iPhone, tap the button on the “Get the app” page.
4. Install and open the app, and allow paste on iPhone. The first-open call should come back exact, and the install appears on the QR code's App installs card.

Each test install needs a fresh scan, because a scan only credits one install. Reinstalling on the same phone gets the same answer as the first install.

Privacy and Apple's rules

• BetterQR never stores IP addresses. It keeps a one-way hash of the network address, with the phone type and OS version, for 30 days. After that the scan record is deleted and only the install result is kept.
• Install and event records hold only IDs: the install ID your app sends, and your own user ID if you send one. No names, emails or phone numbers.
• The iPhone copy step is something the person chooses to do, and the app reads the clipboard once with the system's permission prompt.
• Network matching is a grey area under Apple's rules on deriving data from a device. Many attribution tools use it, but it's off by default. Check it fits your App Store privacy answers before you turn it on, and declare attribution in your app's privacy label.

Troubleshooting