I'm building an "About" controller for my iPhone app. I've see other apps successfully include a "rate in market" link to within their "About" controllers.
Is it possible for me to predict what my link would be, so I can hard-code it in the first release of the app, rather than uploading/figuring out the link/releasing the update?
For example an android app market link may look like :
https://market.android.com/details?id=[package name]
for Android, there's an action view with a market URL that may be opened to link right to the app.
Is there a corresponding action within iOS? I want the customer to be able to navigate to the app's page on the app store from my "About" controller.
Check out the iTunes link maker. It looks like the generic form is:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/[APPNAME]/id[APP_ID]
Some examples:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myapp/id427813331?mt=8&uo=4
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hot-radar/id308361196?mt=8&uo=4
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lightshow-!/id380886382?mt=8&uo=4
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/disney-world-park-maps-by/id392534629?mt=8&uo=4
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/universal-park-maps-orlando/id392535133?mt=8&uo=4
I think APP_ID refers to the iTunes Connect App ID for your product. So if you have that, and the name, your good to go!
Also when you create an app in iTunes Connect you have link View this app in app store there which you can use directly even if it is not published or sent to apple, so as soon as you create it with basic info you will have link there which you can copy.
By now Apple has introduced short-links via the appstore.com domain:
Q: How can I create easy-to-read short links to the App Store for my apps and company?
iOS: http://appstore.com/<appname> for example, http://appstore.com/keynote
See Technical Q&A QA1633 for the full description of the possibilities.
Related
It seems Apple has made a change to how App Store links work and I can't find the new format.
To be clear I am looking for the new format that links to a specific app in any country's App Store. If you go to the Instagram product page, select to share the app, and choose to copy the link or go to iTC and copy the 'View in App Store' link you will get https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instagram/id389801252?mt=8.
This link will only work in the country in which you copied the link. This means if you are in the US folks in Europe won't be able to use the link.
In the past you could just add your app name to the end of https://itunes.com/apps/ (for Instagram it would be https://itunes.com/apps/instagram). This no longer works as it opens the iTunes store rather than the App Store.
I've checked the 'What's New in App Store Connect' video from WWDC 2018 and there was no mention of any new format and using Google keeps giving me results around deep links which is not what I'm looking for.
Does anyone know if this is still possible to do, and if so, what the format is? Or perhaps I have found a bug with the transition from iTunesConnect to AppStoreConnect??
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 know that an app can be linked to directly from an URL so that when it is clicked on my phone, the AppStore app will open and guide me to the app in question but is it possible to link to the 'Featured' page (or better still the 'Redeem' page of AppStore from a link?
The scenario is I send a promo code for AppXYZ out in an email and the recipient can click that email link and be taken to (a) the AppStore app or (b) the AppStore app Redeem page passing the code through.
I know the link for something similar in iTunes but not AppStore. Can't seem to find any info other than links to specific apps (which I don't want).
iTunes: itmss://buy.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/freeProductCodeWizard?code=THE_CODE
Thanks in advance.
If you want to redeem a code on the App Store it nevertheless always goes through the link you provided, but correctly spelled:
itms://buy.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/freeProductCodeWizard?code=THE_CODE
It opens the iTunes app on iOS with the code filled in, the user still has to tap on redeem as it's still a transaction. If he does so, the app will automatically be downloaded (just tested it with the latest iOS version)
I tried to copy a couple of links from the desktop iTunes and checked, if they work on iOS, but the answer is no. E.g.:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/collection/editors-choice/id25204?fcId=531794418&mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?fcId=1188885481&genreIdString=36&mediaTypeString=Mobile+Software+Applications
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?fcId=554381198&genreIdString=36&mediaTypeString=Mobile+Software+Applications
(Also tried it with itms:// instead of https://)
I have developed an app running on iPhone. The app has a function called "check update" to check if there is a newer version(only check version and prompt the user, doesn't really download and update). The app has not submitted to App Store. how can I implement this functionality? The results I searched from elsewhere are using format like this:
https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=284910350
Where can I get the "id" field? If the "id" is generated after submitted to the app store, then how to check newest version?
You actually don't need to submit to the Apple Store in order to get your Application ID.
But you need to be part of the iOS Developer Program so you can go on https://itunesconnect.apple.com and "Add a new App".
If you're not ready to fill all the information just enter some random text and random picture as you can change them later.
Be carefull, from memory I'm not sure you can change the name of the App itself.
When done, click on your app. The new page will have a link call "View in App Store" of course if you click it you will get the information that the app your requested is not currently available.
But you are interested in the link itself as it contain the ID of your "future" app.
It should look like:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-app/id592073786?ls=1&mt=8
Where 592073786 is the id of your app.