I have Universal Linking setup in my app.
Now when browsing my website in Safari and visiting a UL registered link, it opens in safari and asks me if I want to open in my App.
Is there a way that it always opens in the app? No prompt to open in app, just open when it is installed, else continue in safari.
There are two different issues here:
1. In Safari, the URL of a Universal Link needs to be on a different domain/subdomain than the page on which it appears
Apple is very conservative with where Universal Links are allowed to work. One of the limitations in Safari is not allowing the app to open if the user is already browsing the same site (this sort of pages sense — if the user made the effort to open a site in Safari instead of the app, it could be annoying if every single link on that site tried to open the app, especially if the app isn't properly configured for deep link routing).
The workaround is to use a separate domain/subdomain for links you want to open the app. For example, if your site is on example.com, point any link you want to open the app to link.example.com and then redirect users without the app back to the main website or onward to the App Store. This is actually the system we built at Branch.io (which you could consider using instead of re-building it yourself!)
2. What you have described is not Universal Links behavior
Universal Links do not ask the user for confirmation before opening the app, even the first time. They always open the app immediately without even requesting the web page, until/unless the user explicitly disables them (which is actually rather easy to do). What you're describing is the behavior of custom URI schemes, so I suspect you may have a some sort of automatic redirect to the app's URI scheme on the page the Universal Link points to. This is actually not the best idea in most cases, since users without the app will see a nasty error message.
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 having a real hard time finding an answer to this. I know that the app manifest itself can exclude links, but I have an active bug that is affecting users and updating the app is not a fix for current users unfortunately.
The issue is that on our mobile site, we have a flow where it redirects to another domain, an then redirects back. On that 2nd redirect back, if our app is installed on the device, the app will briefly open before switching back to the browser. When this happens, the page breaks (as the 2nd redirect is actually a form submission (a POST) and the app can't forward that POST on.
Is there a way we can add a header or a param or something to tell iOS to not try a deep/universal link? Something to just use safari?
Not with headers
Unfortunately, the device will only make a request to the Universal Link if it does not find a matching AASA file on your device. It will perform a handoff to your app which is done on the local OS with no requests. Therefore, there is no way to check the headers of the request if the device recognizes it as a Universal link.
Same domain fix
The only case in which Universal Link will use the browser if the app is installed is when a is already on the Universal Link domain when they click the universal link.
Example: If a user is on example.com on Safair, they have an AASA on their device that has applinks:example.com, and they click a link that redirects them to example.com/item123, they will not open the app.
In your case, you leave the domain and come back. Your best bet is to figure out a way to redirect the user while keeping them on the same domain. I know that probably doesn't help a ton, but that's your best bet.
I am trying to implement Branch marketing links in my app. I want for example to be able to create a link to share with users that will route them to a particular screen in the app. I noticed from the Branch docs that for some apps the link just opens the app store and not the actual app (even if it is installed). Being based in Asia I have the feeling that most of our customers will be wanting to share the link via an unsupported app such as Line. If a user is redirected to the app store via the link and then taps “open app”, what happens? Is the link meta data lost? Does the meta data only remain if the link is opened in an app such as mail or notes?
Alex from Branch.io here:
This list in the Branch documentation gives a partial list of apps that support Universal Links, but unfortunately it is not complete. We've tried to cover the most common apps.
Line is using a custom webview (not SFSafariViewController). It doesn't support Universal Links for the initial click, but this is one of the edge cases where Branch can detect the originating app and do some custom behavior. For Line, we trigger your app's URI scheme. This means the behavior your users see when clicking a Branch link from within Line is the same as Universal Links, even though Universal Links isn't actually the protocol being used.
If you want to handle other apps where Branch doesn't have a workaround like this, you could try enabling the deepviews feature. This will cause the link to open a content preview with a button to launch the app (or forward to the App Store if not installed).
When a user with the app already installed clicks the Open button on the App Store page, all the meta data is preserved and they will still be deep linked. Branch doesn't know (or care!) what happens between when the user clicks the link and the app launches, so that gives you plenty of flexibility.
Universal Links have some restrictions - not from Branch but from Apple's implementation. One of these restrictions is Universal Links cannot be opened from SFSafariViewController.
From Branch's docs, Line is not explicitly mentioned but other popular messaging apps may be of interest. I don't have Line myself but whether Line launches websites in it's own browser or the Safari app may give you a clue.
Facebook Messenger - works conditionally
WeChat - works conditionally
Twitter - works conditionally
LinkedIn - works conditionally
Any app using SFSafariViewController - works conditionally
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.