Replace Firebase Invites and Dynamic Links for Referrals

Firebase Invites ended on January 24, 2020, and Firebase Dynamic Links shut down on August 25, 2025, so neither can run a referral flow today. To replace them, create a referral link for each user, let the SDK read the invitation after the install, and grant the reward from a signed webhook. The steps are below.

This post is about the referral flow only: the per-user invite link, the install credit and the reward trigger. The general move for every other link is in the Firebase Dynamic Links migration guide and the Firebase migration docs. For a wider comparison of services, read Best Firebase Dynamic Links Alternatives.

What Firebase Invites and Dynamic Links did for referrals

Google's Firebase Invites migration page (Google has since removed the original) describes the split: "Firebase Invites provided both a mechanism for receiving Firebase Dynamic Links in your app, as well as a feature to share that link via SMS or email." Many teams built a referral program on top of that pair:

• A per-user invite link. Each user had a link that named them as the inviter.
• A share step. The app handed the link to SMS, email or the system share sheet.
• A receive step. On first launch the app read the link, including after an install, and learned who invited the person.
• A reward trigger. The app or its backend granted a reward when the friend signed up.

Only the first three came from Firebase. The reward trigger was always your own code, and that part moves over unchanged.

When each one shut down

Google's FAQ also says you can no longer create links and that page.link domains are not available after the shutdown. For features beyond opening an installed app, the FAQ points to other deep linking providers. Firebase Dynamic Links Alternative compares the options.

Some old page.link addresses still redirect today. A redirect only sends the tap to a web page. It does not carry an invitation into the app, and Google can end the redirects at any time.

What a replacement needs

A referral flow needs four things from its link service:

1. A link per user that you can create from your app or backend when someone taps invite.
2. An invitation that survives the install, because the App Store and Google Play do not pass the tapped URL to the app they install.
3. A credit record that says which link brought which new user, and how sure the match is.
4. A signal for your backend so the reward is granted once, in your system.

WarpLink covers the first three with link, install and analytics in one SDK, and sends the fourth as a signed webhook. Your backend grants the reward from the signed webhook.

Move the flow to WarpLink, step by step

1. List what your Firebase flow does

Write down four items: where the app creates the invite link, how it shares it, where it reads the link on first launch, and what code grants the reward. Each one maps to a step below.

2. Register the app and update the SDK

Add the app in the dashboard with its App Store URL for iOS and its package name and signing certificate fingerprint for Android. Install SDK 1.2.0 on iOS, Android, React Native or Flutter. In the app's Referral handoff tab, run Setup and turn on Offer referral handoff on iOS. The referrals guide covers each switch.

3. Create a referral link for each user

Replace the call that built a Dynamic Link with a link that has is_referral set. Create it when the user taps invite and store the link id with that user.

curl -X POST https://api.warplink.app/v1/links \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer wl_live_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "app_id": "YOUR_APP_ID",
    "slug": "invite-ana",
    "destination_url": "https://example.com/invite",
    "is_referral": true
  }'

The link lives on your app's own address, for example acme.aplnk.to/invite-ana. You can also turn on Referral link on any link in the dashboard.

4. Share it with the system share sheet

Google's Invites migration page already recommended the system share sheet for this step: a generic Intent.ACTION_SEND on Android and a UIActivityViewController on iOS. Keep that code and pass the WarpLink URL instead of the Dynamic Link. The link is plain text, so any messaging app can carry it.

5. Read the invitation on first launch

This step replaces the code that received a Dynamic Link.

• Android: the invitation travels in the Google Play install referrer. The SDK reads it by itself at first launch. Follow the Android referral quickstart.
• iPhone: the invitation page copies the invitation, the person installs, and your first screen shows the WarpLink paste button. The match is exact. Follow the iOS referral quickstart, or read Make a Referral Link Survive the App Store on iPhone.
• React Native and Flutter: use the React Native and Flutter quickstarts.

6. Claim the install after sign-up

When the friend signs up, call claimReferral with a random id you keep for that user. Use that id, not an email address.

WarpLink.claimReferral(user.warplinkId) { result ->
    result.onSuccess { claim ->
        // claim.status is CLAIMED, FLAGGED, IGNORED or NONE
    }
}

The first valid claim for an app and installer id wins, and a repeat call returns the same claim. Each claim records how it was matched and is checked against the app's credit window: 24 hours, 7 days (the default) or 30 days from the tap. See Exact vs Estimated Referral Matches.

7. Grant the reward from the signed webhook

Add a webhook endpoint under Referral handoff. When a claim lands, we send referral.claimed with the link, the installer id and the match. Verify the signature on the raw body, then run the reward code you already have, keyed on the link id you stored in step 3. Two guides cover this: Receive a Referral Reward Webhook in Node.js and How to Verify a Referral Install Before You Grant the Reward. If the reward is a free month, see Give a Free Month for a Referral in a Subscription App.

8. Test, then retire the Firebase code

Run one full invite on a real iPhone and a real Android phone: tap, install, open, sign up, claim. The Referrals report in the dashboard lists each referral with its match and webhook result. Then remove the Firebase Invites and Dynamic Links code from the app. The launch checklist lists 20 checks to run first.

What you get beyond the old flow

• Referral link: a link per user on your own app address, with a hosted invitation page you can restyle.
• Credited install: every claim records the match method, whether it is exact, and a confidence for estimated matches.
• Referral results: the Referrals report, a CSV export and the list_referrals MCP tool show who invited whom and whether the webhook was delivered.

WarpLink is free for 10,000 clicks a month with every feature. Paid plans start at $19 a month on the pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What replaces Firebase Invites?

Google's own migration page says to switch to Firebase Dynamic Links with a custom sharing solution. Dynamic Links has since shut down too, so that path is gone. A referral link from WarpLink replaces both: your app shares a per-user link, the SDK reads the invitation after the install, and your backend receives a signed webhook to grant the reward.

Do Firebase Dynamic Links still work for referrals?

Google says they do not. Its Dynamic Links Deprecation FAQ says Firebase Dynamic Links shut down on August 25, 2025 and that all links clicked return an HTTP 404 status response. Recreate the invite links on a service that is still running.

Can I keep my existing reward logic?

Yes. Your existing reward code runs from the signed referral.claimed webhook, which carries the link id and your installer id.

Does the invited friend still land on the right screen after the install?

Yes. On Android the SDK reads the invitation from the Google Play install referrer. On iPhone the invitation page copies it and the person taps a paste button on first launch, which gives an exact match. Credit is recorded for installs that follow a tap on a WarpLink link.

How do I move links that already went out?

Invitations that point at a Firebase short link cannot be moved, because Google no longer lets you edit or create them. Create new referral links for your users and show them the updated link the next time they open the invite screen.

How much does it cost?

WarpLink is free for 10,000 clicks a month with every feature, and paid plans start at $19 a month. See the pricing page for the full list.

Related Guides

• Firebase Dynamic Links Migration Guide: move every other link, not only referrals.
• Best Firebase Dynamic Links Alternatives in 2026: five services compared.
• Referral Code vs Referral Link for Mobile Apps: keep your codes and add links.

Getting Started

Create a free account, register your app, update the SDK to 1.2.0 and follow the referrals guide. See deferred deep linking, install attribution and the SDKs.