We have enabled Adjust universal deeplinks for our apps. We have done all the setup required for deeplink to work. Also our Adjust deeplink works fine when we open it from apps like 'Slack' or 'Notes'. But when we try to open same deeplink from Instagram, user is redirected to App store every time even when app is already installed.
I have got an article regarding Deeplinking on iOS from Instagram and I read there that it will not work until it's paid add. Does anyone have any clear idea about it?
Instagram requires deeplink / universal link to have a path appended to it, or the user will be taken to the store even if the app is installed.
E.g. this link will take user to the store:
https://app.adjust.com/x00abc1?deeplink=adjust%3A%2F%2F
however this one will open the app (if installed)
https://app.adjust.com/x00abc1?deeplink=adjust%3A%2F%2Fyour_path
Interestingly, this path does not have to be valid, there just needs to be a path. I.e. if the client / partner only wants the deeplink to open the app, they can add any invalid path. This will lead to the deeplink opening the app, but being served a path it does not recognise, which leads to the app simply not opening said path, but the app will be open.
Note: Some special characters, like ? are not technically a path, and will therefore not provide the desired behaviour.
Related
we are currently in the process of linking our web portal to our native app (iOS). In the first step, we will try to implement some Deeplinks.
Therefore it is planned to host the "apple app site association file" on the domain (e.g portal.example.com) and provide deeplinks with the help of Universal Links. However, before we start the implementation, there are some questions left:
Let's say we have only 3 URLs that should deeplink to the app. Each of them will get an own row in the paths section:
portal.example.com/functions/firstfunction
portal.example.com/functions/secondfunction
portal.example.com/functions/thirdfunction
If the User now opens the first URL, he will be asked if he wants to open it in the app, right? Let's pretend the user accepts and opens the URL in the app. What happens if he then goes back to the portal and tries to open the second URL? Will he be asked again, or will the app remember the decision and open any URL from the aasa file in the app?
What happens if we use wildcards and write the path like this:
"portal.example.com/functions/*"
Thank you and bg!
Let me first correct you:
If you use 'universal links', and you open any url, then it will not first ask you that "open in app" and then if denies then to webpage.
But it will be work in this manner:
You must be opening URL in iOS device's safari browser(it will not work for other browsers).
It will first open the webpage. If it finds 'apple-app-site-association' file on that website + It also finds the app with same path in its associated domains section installed on device. Then it will show top bar like below image:
Now, if use clicks on this OPEN button, then only your app is going to be opened. If you come back from app to website, this will remain as it is on top.
Answer to your second question: If you provide only specific domains, then the above popup will be visible only for specific webpages. If you are using wildcards, then all webpages which comes under that wild card, will have top bar like above image.
One more thing to note while you are developing above feature: Universal links get associated while you install the app OR update to new version. So, while developing app - let you have installed app without any associated domains, now you added associated domains in app, and installed app again(via xcode) on your device, and open the webpage in safari. Then above will not work. To make it work, either you have to remove/uninstall the app first and then install it again OR you have to change the version.
I am trying to have a link on my website that will open the app on the App Store, with some extra parameters, which my app can then use once it is installed.
The sequence would be similar to this:
User visits my website and clicks a link to install app on App Store.
User is redirected to the app store and installs links
App is launched with the extra parameters passed in URL in step 1.
Hopefully it could look something like this:
itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/app/id123456789?user=foo&page=bar
The main reason I would like to do something like this would be so a user can jump right to the same page they were on, and possibly also be logged in.
I did some research on this already, but only found stuff for affiliate linking (which maybe could be used for this) but this doesn't seem like the right option.
https://affiliate.itunes.apple.com/resources/documentation/basic_affiliate_link_guidelines_for_the_phg_network/
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Edit
It turns out this is called "Deferred Deep Linking", here are some similar threads I've found:
How to make deferred deep linking?
Deferred Deep Linking in iOS
You can do this scenario with 2 ways
1-) define URL scheme on your iOS app firstly.
For example, you define "dateApp" as a URL scheme.
After that, if you write on safari browser this adress "dateApp://" your browser should ask you should this page open on: "DataApp"? if this app installed on your phone
2-) Firebase Dynamic Links.
You should implemented related SDK and callback on your app.
After that you should prepare dynamic link from firebase dashboard
You should check this option if you don't want see preview page.
Note: firebase dynamic link option is more powerfull. Because if someone not install your app but clicked firebase link, redirecting AppStore. After installation process, if opening app in 2 hours, deeplink url cachted by firebase. So you can route appropriate page.
Firebase deeplink example for you :)
https://www.dateapp.com.tr/?page=CampaignDetail&p=78771
I have universal links working correctly, when the app is installed I see how the link opens the app, and when it's not installed opens the url in safari.
Actually what I would like to do is to redirect and go to the app store, so users can download the app directly.
Im going to include a redirect on the html file, because I know universal links don't support redirects a the http server config level (anyway I think this is for the manifest file only, apple-apps-site-association)
Anyone can confirm if this is the right way to do it, or the only way to do it? I don't like the idea to open safari first, load my html (with the redirect only) and then go to the store. Looks like there's no easier way to do it.
You're right: server-side redirects aren't allowed for the apple-app-site-association file. However, I believe once the user opens a Universal Link and (assuming the app is not installed) lands on the URL, all options are on the table (server-side, or otherwise).
If the page on the other end of your Universal Links URL contains an instant JS redirection to your app's App Store page, that should work just fine. Something like this:
window.location = 'itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imdb-movies-tv/id342792525'
But yes, no matter how you do it, Safari is still going to open. It'll flash past so quickly that the user likely won't even notice. Here's a real-time recording I just made of the Branch.io deep linking service's demo app doing exactly this process:
From here: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/AppSearch/UniversalLinks.html
"When you support universal links, iOS 9 users can tap a link to your website and get seamlessly redirected to your installed app without going through Safari. If your app isn’t installed, tapping a link to your website opens your website in Safari."
You're not doing it wrong, that's just how they work.
Would like to know if expected behavior on deep linking using branch.io so when clicked on should check for app availability and prompt customer on iOS device to
Prompts to download app in App Store if not installed
Open in iOS app seamlessly if installed
If customer declines app download it will open in iOS mobile browser
My concern is this deep link behavior on a desktop experience. When a user clicks the same url I am being told this will take them to the iTunes app store resulting in a poor experience. Is this a correct statement? Is there any way to provide a better experience to the end user.
Thanks in advance!
I am being told if the same url is opened in Windows10 it will take me to the App
For example
1. Users opens email with deeplink url
2. what is expected behavior on mobile device with app installed that deep link
For iOS redirects, you'll have to set yourself up for Universal Linking per the documentation here:
https://dev.branch.io/getting-started/universal-app-links/guide/ios/
This is very important for redirect behavior on iOS 9 and later. Please note that not all 3rd party apps and browsers support Universal Linking functionality yet, so you should test on iOS from iMessage or Notes initially.
As for Desktop, you can set your Desktop redirect on the Link settings page - this will not take users to the App store/Play store on Desktop, but to the page you set. You can use the Branch hosted text-me-the-app page if you want to have this as your default for Branch redirects, or your site homepage, or any other page of your choosing. You can add Deeplink data that will be used for all redirects by adding key/value pairs in the SDK or manually when creating a marketing link from the Branch Dashboard. You can also set a $deeplink_path value that will be honored for a specific link, and you can further set a $desktop_url that will override defaults if you want a different redirect for a specific link.
There are many options and ways for you to configure how your redirects work - all of this is up to how you set your Link Settings on the Dashboard, and if you choose to override these defaults for any particular link. For example, you might have default redirects to the App store set for iOS and a desktop URL set to your main webpage on Link Settings. In this case, a link created without modifying these values will take the user to the App store on iOS (or the App if installed), and to the desktop URL specified in Link settings if clicked from Desktop. If, however, you want to override and set $desktop_url as something else for a given link, say, to a specific page on your webpage using the $desktop_url key, on iOS the redirects will be the same but on desktop you will be taken to the set $desktop_url. For any of these scenarios you can specify Deeplink Data to be passed through.
I'm tryin to implement sending email or message with url to be open in the app but in case the user doesn't have the app install the url should redirect to download the app in the app store. For example:
1.- user1 sends email to his family with the url to load information in the app
2.- the family doesn't have the app install on there iOS devices and when they click on the url loads the itunes store to download the app. When they download the app the click the url again and the information is load it.
any of you knows how can implement something like this?
I'll really appreciate your help
The email should contain a link to a webpage for the content if possible. Then, that webpage should be designed so content can be opened in the app (see this question).
Since it is difficult to detect if the app is installed from a webpage, the webpage can have a link to install the app if it is not installed.
You are going to have to launch the app using the already suggested method:
window.location = "myapp://myparam";
Then you are going to need to check if that page launches or not (whether your app starts up or not). If it does not then you can launch a search in the app store by this means:
window.location = "itms-apps://ax.search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?media=software&term=(your company/app name)"
Instead of doing this search you could also just provide the link directly in the app store to your app. I see the hardest part being checking whether or not your app launches from the original attempt to launch your app through window.href, I don't know how to accomplish that check.