Device targeting links
Send iOS, Android, mobile, and desktop visitors to different destinations from a single short link. The routing happens at the edge during the redirect, so there's no app to build and no user-agent code to write.
What is device targeting?
Device targeting lets one short link send visitors to different web pages based on the device they're using. An iPhone can land on your App Store page, an Android phone on Google Play, and a laptop on your full web app — all from the same link you share once. It's the fix for the old problem of needing separate links for iOS, Android, and desktop, or writing your own redirect logic to tell them apart.
How device routing works
When someone clicks your link, U2L inspects the request's user-agent at the edge and picks the matching rule. There are four device buckets, and they resolve from specific to general: a phone with an ios or android rule uses it, any other phone falls to mobile, non-mobile visitors use desktop, and anything still unmatched goes to your default destination. You only set the rules you need — the default catches the rest.
A routing table for one link
Here's how a single u2l.ai/get-app link could route four kinds of visitor:
| Visitor | Rule | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone / iPad on iOS Safari | ios | App Store product page |
| Android phone | android | Google Play listing |
| Other mobile (no OS rule) | mobile | Mobile-optimized web page |
| Laptop / desktop | desktop | Full desktop web app |
| Anything unmatched | default | Your default destination |
Device targeting vs. deep linking vs. geo
These three often get bundled together, but they answer different questions:
- Device targeting (this page) asks what are you holding and routes to a different web URL for iOS, Android, mobile, or desktop.
- App deep linking asks whether to open the app and launches your native app (or falls back to the store) instead of a web page.
- Geo targeting asks where are you and routes by country, region, or city regardless of device.
They stack: a single smart link can combine device and geo rules together.
What people use it for
App downloads
Send iOS visitors to the App Store and Android visitors to Google Play from a single link on any channel.
Mobile vs. desktop sites
Route phones to a lightweight mobile page and desktops to the full web app, with no user-agent code of your own.
Print & offline
One printed link or QR that just works — the destination adapts to whatever device scans it.
Campaign links
Give the same campaign link to every audience and let device rules deliver the right experience per visitor.
Combine device and geo on one link
Device rules don't work in isolation. Add country, region, or city routing to the same link and the two run together — for example, geo can pick the right regional store while device picks App Store vs. Google Play. When a visitor matches both a geo rule and a device rule, the device rule is evaluated last and takes precedence, so it's worth deciding which dimension should win before you set them.
Device targeting FAQ
How does device targeting work?+
U2L reads the visitor's user-agent at the edge and redirects them to the URL you set for ios, android, mobile, or desktop. It happens during the redirect, so there's nothing to install and no code on your side.
Which device rules are supported?+
Exactly four: ios, android, mobile (any other mobile OS without an OS-specific rule), and desktop (everything else). It targets device class, not individual browsers or OS versions.
How do I route iOS and Android separately?+
Set a destination for the ios rule and another for the android rule. iPhones match ios, Android phones match android, and each goes to its own URL — the classic 'App Store vs. Google Play' split.
Is this the same as app deep linking?+
No. Device targeting routes to a web URL that opens in the browser. App deep linking opens a native app (via Universal Links / App Links with an app-store fallback), which U2L offers as a separate feature. Device targeting answers 'what device is this,' not 'open the app.'
What happens if no device rule matches?+
The link falls back to its default destination, so no visitor ever hits a dead end. You only need to set rules for the devices you care about.
Can I combine device targeting with country targeting?+
Yes — geo and device rules run on the same link. Geo is resolved first and device second, so when a visitor matches both, the device rule takes precedence. Rules are single-dimension (there's no compound 'iOS-in-Germany' key); you set device destinations and geo destinations separately.
Do I need an app or an SDK?+
No. Device targeting is pure URL routing — nothing to embed, install, or maintain. It works with a plain short link or a QR code.
How are iPads handled?+
Be aware that modern iPadOS Safari identifies itself as desktop Safari, so many iPads match the desktop rule rather than ios. If iPad routing matters, plan for that rather than assuming every iPad hits the App Store rule.
Does it work with QR codes and analytics?+
Yes. The same link works behind a QR code, and clicks are broken out by device so you can see how mobile, desktop, and tablet traffic splits.
Is device targeting a paid feature?+
Device routing is part of U2L's advanced routing capabilities on paid plans. You can create a free account to get started; the routing rules are configured per link.
Route every device from one link
Set iOS, Android, mobile, and desktop destinations once and share a single link that sends everyone to the right place.