I want to give a link to an user to download my app through the app store (iOS). In this link I want to include an invitation code.
How do I create these links?
How can I see get the referral code from the link the user clicked on after they install my app?
I read about Firebase Dynamic Links. but I quite don't understand how to build the link and with method of Firebase Dynamic Links i will need to use to retrieve the invitation code. Do i will need to handle links received as Universal Links (so catch it from application:continueUserActivity:restorationHandler:) or handle links received through my app's custom URL scheme (so catch it from application:openURL:options:)
I read also about facebook appLink but their also i don't know how to do ...
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I am using Firebase Dynamic Links to handle deep linking into my ios app (from external links) and this works fine.
My issue is when I try to handle a dynamic link that has been launched from inside the app. In particular, I am using Firebase in-app messaging with a dynamic link as the action on the card button.
I have added the capabilities and URL scheme to Xcode. The documentation states that I use the Firebase app bundle as the URL scheme value. The only thing that isn't clear is whether this means the Firebase project id or the dynamic link domain which is the one set in the capabilities tab as the applinks: value.
When I tap on the button to launch the dynamic link it does recognise it as a dynamic link (because it doesn't just open my hosting domain in the browser), but it redirects to the browser first and asks me if I want to open the app (that I just came from).
Does anybody know how to configure this behaviour so the links don't ask you first? Would this then immediately handle the link in the app?
UPDATE
I was able to get the app to handle the dynamic link immediately in the app by skipping the preview page. You do this by manually constructing the link and setting the efr=1 parameter. This article explains it all: https://firebase.google.com/docs/dynamic-links/create-manually
BUT - although my app was handling the deep-link, it STILL redirected to the browser where it attempted to load the web.app domain from hosting.
I feel this could be something to do with the URL types setting in Xcode which if set properly should prevent it from trying to handle links in the browser.
UPDATE UPDATE
For some reason, this just stopped redirecting to the browser and I have no idea why. I watched a Firebase video and the guy did mention something about iOS being weird, and that Safari can break dynamic links and he recommended always testing them from the notes app. Weird. I wonder if something got pwned somewhere. I will write up an answer. 👍
Not entirely sure why, but this just started to behave. The dynamic link I am using in the in-app messaging campaign is the long-form URL with the efr=1 parameter to skip the preview page in the browser.
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'm in the process of updating my iOS app, and one feature that I'd love to add would be the ability to create links (to send via email, or for social media) that would allow users who have downloaded the app to be taken to a certain section of the app, and users who haven't to be taken to the app store page for my app. I also want it to take desktop users to the itunes page for my app.
Now, I've been looking into url schemes as I think this is the way forward, and have managed to create a custom url scheme that will indeed take users to different parts of my app. However, I'm struggling to find a way to check if the app has been installed, and what device the user is on etc.
Would I need to use a server to redirect them to the correct place?
Thanks!
I found out the best way to do it is with universal links, introduced in iOS 9.
https://blog.branch.io/how-to-setup-universal-links-to-deep-link-on-apple-ios-9/
I have to implement navigation from facebook post to my native iOS app or app store if the app is not installed. For that, I have tried Facebook APP Link feature but it did not work. Then I created Firebase Dynamic link and post it on facebook app directly. After tapping on posted link, it shows one pop up saying "Leave Facebook? This webpage is trying to open an app outside of Facebook. Are you sure you want to open it?"
After tapping on Yes, it does nothing. I have cross verified the created link with https://app_id.app.goo.gl/apple-app-site-association It shows associated bundle id, team id, app store id.
Can anyone please suggest me the proper pathway to implement deep linking with facebook post to the app?
Also, can we test deep linking with the app which is not on the App Store?
Thanks in advance.
Facebook doesn't like users to leave their app. They stopped supporting App Links in their iOS app almost a year ago, and have never supported Universal Links (which is what Firebase Dynamic Links uses).
The only workaround is to send users to a landing page with a CTA button, and put another deep link behind that button (on a different domain than the one on which you're hosting this landing page). It's an extra step for the user, but currently the only option. Branch.io (full disclosure: I'm on the Branch team) does this via the Deepviews feature. Dynamic Links currently doesn't have an equivalent, so you'd need to build something yourself.
I'm trying to implement Firebase Dynamic Links in an iOS app. The goal is to have a clean URL for marketing purposes so folks can share links on social media. The idea is folks will share the clean URL that starts with my domain name.
When the app is installed following a click on that link, we want to be able to track who referred the app install by looking at the payload delivered by Firebase. I think this goal is similar to Firebase's use case to convert web users to mobile app users.
An example link I would like to provide for sharing on social media is: http://example.com/my-payload-here
I've tried several cases but I'm not able to get the behavior I'm looking for in any case. Has anyone implemented this successfully before?
Here is my test procedure:
Uninstall the app
Send the link to be tested in an iMessage to myself
Tap the link on my iOS device (not using a simulator)
Install the app from the App Store
Launch the app after download completes by tapping "Open" button in the App Store
Below are my findings:
Short link generated from the Firebase Console (https://xyz.app.goo.gl/ABCD) - Link opens in App Store. I install the app. When I launch the app after installing, the payload is not delivered. If I quit out of the app, go back to the link in iMessage, and launch a second time, the payload is delivered.
Long link identical to the "Long Dynamic Link" from the Firebase console for the link generated in #1 (https://xyz.app.goo.gl/?link=http://example.com/my-payload-here&isi=12345&ibi=com.example.MyApp) - behavior is identical to #1
Short link using my domain (http://example.com/redirect/my-payload-here, configured to 301 redirect to URL in #2) - Opens in App Store. I install. When I launch the app after installing, the payload is not delivered. If I quit out of the app, go back to the link in iMessage, and launch a second time, the link still goes to the App Store.
Some questions I have:
Why isn't the payload delivered on the first launch for cases 1 and 2?
How can we make this launch the app and deliver the payload instead of going to the App Store?
I've also consulted the Firebase flowchart for the deep link in case 2.
Google Firebase team added support for custom subdomains to Dynamic Links.
You can now specify up to five custom page.link subdomains for your Dynamic Links. Short links using these new custom subdomains look like the following example: https://example.page.link/abcXYZ
Firebase Dynamic Link domains assigned on projects couldn't be deleted at this time.( firebase team is working on it.)
You can now whitelist the URL patterns that can be used as a Dynamic Link's deep link (link) or fallback link (ifl, ipfl, afl, ofl). If you define a whitelist, Dynamic Links won't redirect to URLs that don't match a whitelisted pattern.
You can try both of these features in the Firebase console.
This is not currently possible with Firebase. If you need whitelabeled URLs, you either need to build it yourself or use a more powerful link platform like Branch.io (full disclosure: I'm on the Branch team).
To answer your questions specifically:
I have implemented Firebase Dynamic Links in a testbed app and can confirm that linking through installation the first time does work for both long and short URL variants. There is likely something wrong with your AppDelegate config, so we can take a look at that if you want to share code.
Firebase does not support custom domains at this time. In theory (if you can solve the first issue above) you could get this working for first install by using a redirect like you have tried. However, you'll never be able to get it to launch the app with Firebase link data once the app is installed. This is because Universal Links work based on the domain of the link, and don't even request the web destination. Even if you enable Universal Links manually on your own domain, the app will open immediately without ever calling Firebase and the link data will never be set.