The way to Open an Android App from the Browser

This weblog put up was initially printed in 2018. It has been up to date to mirror modifications in Android App Hyperlinks.

Opening an put in app from a browser is called “deep linking,” and with this information you’ll learn to deep hyperlink into your Android app from the cell internet. We’ll focus solely on set off an app open from an internet site web page, fairly than from the press of a hyperlink inside different apps. 

Android is, by far, some of the fragmented platforms that builders have ever needed to handle, attributable to Google’s resolution to pressure machine producers to be answerable for porting the OS, which requires backwards compatibility and help of a large number of gadgets. On this ecosystem, we, the app builders, are left to choose up the items. Deep linking on Android is sadly no completely different— over time, we’ve seen a plethora of technical necessities that have to be used relying on the circumstance and context of the person.

Word that Department will implement all of this complexity for you, host the deep hyperlinks, and even offer you strong analytics behind clicks, app opens, and down funnel occasions. You may mess around with Department hyperlinks without spending a dime by signing up right here. We extremely advocate utilizing our instruments as a substitute of attempting to rebuild them from scratch, since constructing deep hyperlinks is extremely sophisticated. 

Overview of Android App Hyperlinks

Android App Hyperlinks are Android’s answer to take customers to particular in-app content material. They permit your customers to bypass the disambiguation dialogue the place they choose in the event that they wish to see content material on the cell internet or within the app, reminiscent of within the following picture:

App Hyperlinks use HTTP and HTTPS URLs related together with your web site area, and permit a selected app to be the default proprietor of a given kind of hyperlink. This ensures that no different app can use your hyperlinks for deep linking. Word that with App Hyperlinks, customers who would not have your app put in will likely be taken to your cell web site. Subsequently, for the very best person expertise, configure your cell web site to deal with your App Hyperlink to stop customers from viewing a 404 web page.

Steps to Create Android App Hyperlinks:

1. Create intent filters for incoming hyperlinks, and outline values in your manifest

To hyperlink to your app content material, create an intent filter with the next components and attribute values for use in your Exercise tag inside your manifest:  

• <motion>: To specify the VIEW intent motion in order that the intent filter could be reached from Google Search or different internet hyperlink clicks.
• <knowledge> : The <knowledge> tag should embody the android:scheme attribute. The info tags symbolize a URI format that resolves to the exercise.
• BROWSABLE class: required to ensure that the intent filter to be accessible from an online browser. With out it, clicking a hyperlink in a browser can’t route customers to your app. 
• DEFAULT class: to permit your app to answer implicit intents. 

Right here’s an instance of an intent filter inside a manifest for deep linking, utilizing the URI “https://www.instance.com/gizmos” : 

<intent-filter 
    android:autoVerify="true"        
    android_label="@string/filter_view_http_gizmos">
        <motion android_name="android.intent.motion.VIEW" />
        <class android_name="android.intent.class.DEFAULT" />
        <class android_name="android.intent.class.BROWSABLE" />
        <!-- Accepts URIs that start with "https://www.instance.com/gizmos” -->
        <knowledge android_scheme="https"
              android_host="www.instance.com"
              android_pathPrefix="/gizmos" />
        <!-- word that the main "/" is required for pathPrefix-->

Word that you should use http however then add the community configuration XML file with cleartextTrafficPermitted=true. Extra data right here. Additionally, word that cleartext data transmitted is just not encrypted and isn’t safe. 

Including intent filters with URIs for exercise content material to your app manifest permits Android to route any Intent that has matching URIs to your app.

2. Learn knowledge from incoming intents

Use knowledge out of your intent to find out the content material to point out your customers. Name the getData() and getAction() strategies to retrieve the information and motion related to the incoming intent. 

Right here’s a code snippet exhibiting retrieve knowledge from an intent in Java:

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    tremendous.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.format.essential);

    Intent intent = getIntent();
    String motion = intent.getAction();
    Uri knowledge = intent.getData();
}

Or in Kotlin:

override enjoyable onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
   tremendous.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
   setContentView(R.format.essential)
   val intent: Intent = intent
   val motion: String? = intent.motion
   val knowledge: Uri? = intent.knowledge
}

3. Confirm possession of your app and web site

As of January 2023, the Google Play Retailer is requiring all new apps and updates to focus on at minimal Android 12, or API stage 31. Beginning with Android 12, you could confirm possession of each your app and your web site as a way to deep hyperlink your customers to your app content material. Comply with these steps:

Request automated app hyperlink verification in your manifest. 

This can ask the Android system to confirm that your app belongs to the URL area utilized in your intent filters.

Setting android_autoVerify=”true” declares your app to be the default handler for a sort of hyperlink for any one of many internet URL intent filters in your app manifest that embody the android.intent.motion.VIEW intent motion and android.intent.class.BROWSABLE intent class.

Declare the connection between your web site and your intent filters 

To point the Android apps related together with your web site and app URL intents, begin by publishing a Digital Asset Hyperlinks JSON file at https://area.identify/.well-known/assetlinks.json.

You’ll want the next data to publish the Digital Asset Hyperlinks JSON file: 

• namespace: This worth is “android_app”
• package_name: The appliance ID declared within the app’s construct.gradle file.
• sha256_cert_fingerprints: The SHA256 fingerprints of your app’s signing certificates. You need to use the next command to generate the fingerprint by way of the Java keytool:

$ keytool -list -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore

Right here’s an instance:

https://branchster.app.hyperlink/.well-known/assetlinks.json

Ensure that your assetlinks.json file is:

• served with content-type software/json.
• accessible over an HTTPS connection, no matter whether or not your app’s intent filters declare HTTPS as the information scheme.
• accessible with none redirects (no 301 or 302 redirects) and accessible by bots (your robots.txt should permit crawling /.well-known/assetlinks.json).
• printed on every area in case your app hyperlinks helps a number of host domains

Lastly, affirm that the Digital Asset Hyperlinks JSON file is correctly hosted and outlined by utilizing the Digital Asset Hyperlinks API.

4. Check URL Intents

After verifying the web sites related together with your app and guaranteeing that the hosted JSON file is legitimate, set up the app in your machine. Wait not less than 20 seconds for the asynchronous verification course of to finish. Use the next command to verify whether or not the system verified your app and set the right hyperlink dealing with insurance policies:

adb shell am begin -a android.intent.motion.VIEW 
    -c android.intent.class.BROWSABLE 
    -d "https://area.identify:optional_port"

The adb software will launch an implicit intent android.intent.motion.VIEW with the class BROWSABLE and knowledge being your web site URL you’ve configured.

It’s also possible to assessment an inventory of the hyperlinks dealt with by all of your apps with the next command: 

adb shell dumpsys bundle domain-preferred-apps

You’ll see within the output all of the linking behaviors for apps. Be sure that your app is about to all the time open on a hyperlink click on.

“Bundle: your.app.bundle

Domains: your.area.com

Standing: all the time : 20000000c

The hexadecimal worth is the Android system’s file for app linking habits. 

And also you’re performed! That being stated, deep linking on Android is extremely sophisticated, and there are edge circumstances in all places. You’ll assume all the pieces goes properly till you come throughout distinctive edge circumstances and damaged hyperlinks. That’s why you need to use a software like Department — to save lots of you from that nightmare and make sure that your hyperlinks work in all places. Contact us to find how one can implement deep hyperlinks that rework your person expertise, scale back churn, and improve ROI.