Google Play Store Web to Device installation not passing INSTALL_REFERRER

Question

I am adding an install referrer to a Play Store link. If that link is launched from an Android device then I get the referrer data and everything works well. But, when using the same link from desktop and choosing Web to Device installation to an Android device, the referrer value is not passed at all.

Is that the expected behavior? If so, Is there any other way to pass a parameter through an Web to Device install?

***** EDIT *****

Ok, it seems like this is the normal behavior according to Google Analytics Docs.

Google Play Campaign Measurement does not currently support web-to-device installs initiated from the web Play Store.

So my updated question is: Is there any other way or a workaround to make it happen?

Answer 1

One workaround I've seen used is sending the link via SMS. On the desktop, the website visitor sees a "Text Me The App" form where they can enter their phone number and click "Send Link". They receive a link on their phone and open it there.

The link could be an intermediary page that redirects the user either to Google Play or to the iOS app store. So the same link can work on both platforms.

There are of course caveats with this approach: SMS sending fees, infrastructure needed for processing the submitted form data, privacy concerns (user is entering their phone number. Have fun doing this in EU :-) ). User's device needs to have a phone number so it can receive messages.

One commercial offering I've found that does this is https://docs.branch.io/pages/web/text-me-the-app/