FDL Migration Checklist: Deep Link Audit & Transition Planning
Use
Step 1: Audit Firebase Link Usage
- Log into your Firebase console and export your full list of Dynamic Links
- Sort by usage and filter by traffic in the past 90 days ๐
- Prioritize high-traffic links for urgent migration
- Document the location and use case for each link ๐
- Identify whether each link is used in a QR code, email, social campaign, app banner, paid ad, or website
- Identify who created the link and whether itโs reused across assets ๐ฅ
- Group links by traffic level (high, moderate, low)
- Group links by update feasibility (easy vs. hard to update)
- Group links by risk to customer experience if broken (e.g., checkout flow vs. internal campaign) โ ๏ธ
- Check the fallback URL for functionality and user experience
- Determine which team or vendor owns each destination ๐ง
- Flag any links created using free QR code tools
- Note whether QR codes using these links are untraceable or uneditable โ
Step 2: Identify Risk by Placement & Priority
- Create a matrix of link usage across all major channels: QR, social, email, web, TV, signage, print
- Assess the difficulty of updating each placement
- Flag permanent or semi-permanent assets (e.g., packaging) as high risk ๐ง
- Score each asset by risk level and prioritize accordingly ๐ฏ
Step 3: Coordinate with Internal Teams & Vendors
- Identify all internal teams needed: marketing, product, web, creative, dev, QA, agencies, printers, signage vendors
- Assign ownership for each link or asset group ๐ฅ
- Communicate urgency and CX risk associated with FDL deprecation ๐ฃ
- Prepare a shared migration timeline and accountability plan ๐๏ธ
Step 4: Select a Replacement & Recreate Links
- Choose an SDK-free alternative (e.g., URLgenius) โ
- Rebuild or bulk import links with matching functionality
- Considering all use cases: deferred deep linking, app store routing, branded paths
- QA all new links across iOS, Android, embedded browsers, QR codes, etc. ๐งช
- Map each new link to its original Firebase counterpart for substitution
Step 5: Track Progress & Set Up Oversight
- Create a Gantt chart with owners, milestones, and deadlines ๐
- Maintain a dashboard of total links, recreated links, verified replacements, and remaining at-risk assets ๐งฎ
Step 6: Archive or Ignore Low-Risk Links
- Decide which links are not worth migrating due to inactivity or irrelevance โ
- Communicate to execs that these links may fail silently with no alert
- Document rationale for links left unmigrated
Step 7: Executive Communication
Prepare leadership briefing:
- What is Firebase Dynamic Links and why itโs being deprecated
- Which assets and campaigns are impacted ๐
- Timeline, risks, and mitigation plan ๐๏ธ
Explain trade-offs of using free tools:
- โBecause there was no budget for deep linking, free tools were used. Now we must invest to avoid disruption.โ ๐ฌ
- Advocate for a sustainable mobile infrastructure strategy going forward ๐ก
This checklist can be used alongside a Google Sheet or project tracker to drive execution. Let us know if youโd like a corresponding Gantt template or editable version for distribution.
Accelerate Your Firebase Dynamic Links Migration
As the August 25 deadline looms, organizations need fast, privacy-first alternatives that minimize technical risk. URLgenius provides a no-SDK, enterprise-ready solution aligned with modern privacy expectations and campaign performance goals. To help accelerate a risk-free transition, URLgenius is offering the first month free for organizations that sign up by the migration deadline with a 13-month agreement or longer.
Contact us to learn more about how our privacy-first solution can support your app linking strategy and share this link with your team to get started urlgeni.us/fdl-exit.
Appendix
FDL Exit Plan is a publication by URLgenius, the SDK-free deep linking platform trusted by 30,000+ marketers globally.