How to Create a QR Code for an App and Get More Downloads From Print Materials
Getting someone to download your app is already hard enough.
You tell them the name. They open the App Store or Google Play. They search. Three similar apps appear. They pick the wrong one, get confused, and give up. Or they just forget entirely by the time they get home.
All of that friction disappears with one QR code placed in the right spot.
Someone scans it. Their phone opens directly to your app listing — correct store, correct app, ready to download in one tap. No searching. No confusion. No dropping off halfway through.
Here is exactly how to set this up properly.
The Problem Most People Run Into
The most common mistake people make when creating an app download QR code is using a single static link.
They paste the App Store URL into a basic QR code generator, download the code, and print it everywhere. Then an Android user scans it and lands on an Apple App Store page that tells them the app is not available on their device. Scan wasted. Potential user lost.
The fix is a smart QR code that detects the scanner's device automatically and sends them to the correct store — App Store for iPhone users, Google Play for Android users — from one single printed code.
This is called a device based redirect and it is one of the most useful features a QR code generator can have for app campaigns.
What You Need Before Starting
- Your App Store link — go to your app listing on the Apple App Store and copy the full URL from the address bar or from App Store Connect.
- Your Google Play link — go to your app listing on Google Play and copy the full URL.
- Both links ready — you will need them together when setting up the redirect rules.
Step by Step — Creating Your App Download QR Code
Step 1 — Sign up at TrackYourQR
Go to trackyourqr.com and create your account. No card needed.
Step 2 — Create a Dynamic QR Code
Select dynamic as your code type. This is essential for app download campaigns — static codes cannot handle device based redirects and cannot track how many downloads your QR code actually drove. Always use a dynamic QR code generator for anything involving app promotion.
Step 3 — Set up device based redirects
Open rule based QR redirects in your settings. Create two rules:
- iOS devices → paste your App Store link
- Android devices → paste your Google Play link
Set a default destination — your app landing page or website — for any device that does not match either rule. Save your rules. Now one printed code handles both platforms intelligently without any manual sorting.
Step 4 — Customise your design
Add your app icon and brand colours using the custom QR code design options. Placing your actual app icon next to or inside the QR code immediately tells the scanner what they are downloading — which increases scan confidence and conversion rate.
Step 5 — Add a clear call to action
Print text next to the code — "Scan to download our app" or "Scan to get started on your phone." Short, direct, and benefit-led. People scan faster when the outcome is obvious.
Step 6 — Download in high resolution
Export your code and place it on:
- Product packaging
- Flyers and brochures
- Store receipts and invoices
- Event banners and booth materials
- Onboarding cards in delivery packages
- Office posters and waiting room displays
Track Every Download That Came From Print
This is where most app marketers leave money on the table.
They run print campaigns promoting their app and have no idea how many downloads actually came from those materials. Was it the flyer or the receipt insert that worked? Was it the event banner or the product packaging?
Your QR marketing analytics dashboard answers all of these questions automatically. Every scan is recorded with timestamp, location, and device type — so you know exactly which print placement is driving the most app downloads and where to focus your next campaign budget.
Create a separate QR code for each placement using QR code templates to keep everything consistently branded — and track each one independently so the comparison is clean and accurate.
Before You Print Anything
Test your QR code on both an iPhone and an Android device before sending to print.
Confirm the iPhone goes to the App Store listing. Confirm the Android goes to Google Play. Confirm both pages load the correct app immediately — not a search result, not a generic store homepage, the actual app listing.
If either redirect is wrong fix it in your dashboard before a single flyer goes out. With a dynamic QR code generator the fix takes thirty seconds and costs nothing. Finding out after five thousand flyers are distributed costs considerably more.