In this tutorial we will show you how to create a QR code to promote your new smart phone app. This code when scanned by any of the freely available QR code scanning apps available on the market will direct the user to the relevant app store for their device ready to download your app for the device they are on. Android users will be directed to your Android version on Google Play, iPhone users will be directed to your iOS version on iTunes, and so on and so forth.

The QR code will not direct them to a browser window but to the actual app store for that particular mobile Platform. Your user then can then read up more on your app or just hit the install button and be using your phone app within moments regardless of mobile platform.

If you have not produced an app for any of the above platforms simply skip over the step for that particular mobile operating system.

We will be doing this with only freely available tools and generators.

Promote your Phone App: How to Create a QR code for iPhone, Android, Windows Phones and Blackberry

The First thing we are going to need to do is get the correct link for each of the mobile platforms we are promoting. We are going to need to obtain a link to where each of our different versions of our phone app are located as well as a fall back link. This fall back is for anyone who scans the code on a device that is not supported by our mobile app. This should be something like our apps main webpage. It should also inform them that the mobile app they just tried to download is not supported by the mobile device they are presently on.

Obtaining our iTunes Link

Obtaining the link for this is quite simple. First go to itunesconnect.apple.com and login. Now click on “Manage your applications” and select your app from the list of applications you have published. Under Links click “View in App Store“. A new window or tab will open displaying your app as the public sees it. Click in the address bar and copy the address. Save this somewhere safe ready for later.

Creating our Android Link

What we need is the unique package name used to distribute your app. This declared in your manifest file. It is usually a reverse domain name style. In my case com.ripperdesigns.reptilerescuetasmania.

If you do not know what yours is go to the google play store at play.google.com and find your app using the search function. The package name can be found in the address bar. It should look something like this.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ripperdesigns.reptilerescuetasmania

The bit we need is the piece I have underlined in the above example.

As our link is being opened by another app (the scanning app) we need to use a market link.

market://details?id=<package_name>

For the <package_name> we use our package name. For example:

market://details?id=com.ripperdesigns.reptilerescuetasmania

Save the link we have just created with our iTunes link ready for later.

Obtaining our BlackBerry Link

Obtaining our link for blackberry is the same as for iTunes. Simply locate your app in the Blackberry world store and copy the address from the address bar of our browser. Again save it with our previous 2 links ready for later.

Creating our Windows Phone Link

If you have worked with Windows Phone marketplace before you may or may not be familiar with the old zune links. These are no longer valid.

We simply link to the windows phone website.

http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=<your_app_id>

The <your_app_id> is the guid assigned to your app and can be found on the details screen for your app in the app hub. Alternatively if you login to the site and go to your app description about half way down is your app’s deeplink. This is what we want.

Again save it with your other links ready for later.

Fall back link

This is the last link we need to prepare before we go on to create the QR code for our phone app. This is easily the easiest link we need to create. Open your browser and navigate to the page you have set up to promote your app on your website. Now copy the web address from the address bar in your browser and save this link with the others.

Create your QR code

We are now going to use a free online tool to create our QR code in three easy steps.

1. To do this go to qrstuff.com and on the left hand side of the page under Data Type select App Store Download.

2. The section under Content will now change with tick boxs for each of the above platforms. Tick each of these boxes and insert the links we have have created in for each platform you are distributing your app for.

You will notice you cannot un-tick the last box labelled fallback. This box is compulsory. Place your fallback link in here. You will notice the QR code image on the right hand side of the screen change each time you put a URL into the form. This is a live view of what the finished code will look like.

3. Once you have put all the code we created earlier into the form click the Download QR Code button underneath the image of your QR code. This will download and save your new QR code ready for you distribute as required in what ever medium you need.