Messenger QR/Ref URL opens chat on Android but does not trigger the flow

Yes I'm experiencing the same problem. You're not alone!!! Been pulling my hair out last couple days trying to figure this out!!

You've basically already diagnosed it with your Chrome test. When you paste the URL in Chrome, Facebook's web server resolves the m.me link and passes the ref along to Messenger. When the Android camera scan opens Messenger directly, it goes through an app intent, and that handoff drops the ref. Chat opens, ref never arrives, so the automation never knows anyone came in. iOS does the handoff correctly. Your button page didn't help because tapping a link fires the same app intent again.

Two things worth testing:

1. Point the QR at your own short URL that does a server-side 302 redirect to the m.me link, instead of encoding the m.me link in the QR directly. The scan then lands in the browser first and follows the same path as your working Chrome test. Not guaranteed, Android can still intercept, but it's the closest reproduction of the case you've proven works.

2. The boring but bulletproof fallback: put a keyword in the QR flow. "Scan and send the word START." A keyword trigger doesn't depend on the ref surviving the handoff, so it works on every device, at the cost of one extra tap from the user.

Either way, stop debugging your ManyChat config, it's fine. This one is on Meta's Android app.
 

Thank you. Your explanation matches the behavior I have observed.

I agree that the server-side 302 redirect is still worth testing. My previous intermediate page only used a normal button pointing to the m.me Ref URL, so it was not a true server-side redirect. I will test a short URL on my own domain that immediately returns an HTTP 302 redirect to the m.me link, without displaying an intermediate page.

Regarding the keyword workaround, I agree that it would be technically reliable, but it is not suitable as the primary solution for this particular project.

These QR codes will be placed at individual distributors and points of sale so customers can access distributor-specific promotions, while allowing us to identify and measure the source of each entry. The intended experience is:

Scan the QR code → open Messenger → automatically launch the corresponding promotion flow.

Asking the customer to type or send “START” adds an additional step and weakens the intended customer experience. A unique keyword for each distributor could work as a fallback, but it would not be the preferred implementation.

There is also some additional context that may be relevant. In the Facebook Page settings, under Advanced Messaging → Connected Apps, I enabled the option:

“Take control of conversations — ManyChat can take control of conversations from other apps.”

After enabling this option, the QR code suddenly worked correctly on Android for a few hours. However, it later stopped working again, even though the option remained enabled and nobody changed the configuration.

Because of that, I suspect there may be two issues involved: Android’s handling of the m.me App Link and the ownership or routing of the Messenger conversation. I cannot determine whether the temporary success was caused by a permissions refresh, cached routing information, or intermittent behavior from Meta.

This is particularly important for measurable offline-to-Messenger marketing campaigns. In my market, most users have Android devices, and currently even a Ref URL placed behind a normal website button opens Messenger without launching the corresponding automation. The automation only works reliably when the same URL is manually pasted into Chrome.

Have you personally tested the server-side 302 solution successfully on Android? If so, I would appreciate any additional implementation details.

Hi ​@Mantecon77 

You've already ruled out most of the usual suspects (QR variants, readers, publish status, permissions), so a few things worth checking that aren't on your list:

• Get Started button: if the tester hasn't previously messaged the Page, Messenger may require tapping Get Started before any automation — including the Ref URL trigger — can run. Worth testing with an account that's never interacted with the Page.
• Automatic Conversation Assignment: if it's on, ManyChat might not actually have control of the chat on Facebook's side, which would block the automation even though the conversation opens.
• Conversation Starter: if one is active, it takes priority over Ref URL triggers and can silently override it.

Since manually pasting the same URL into Chrome works but opening it natively in Messenger on Android doesn't, my guess is it's more likely one of these three than a QR/device-level issue.