Open links in your app

A link on your custom domain can open your app when it is installed, right on the content the link points to. Everyone without the app still goes to the store. Open in app is included on Team Plus and Enterprise.
  1. Step 1

    Before you start

    This is a job for your app developer. You can upload the two files yourself if you have the values they need, but the app changes and new releases take a developer. You need an active custom domain — see Set up a custom domain — and access to the app’s source code and developer accounts.
  2. Step 2

    Add the iOS file

    Under Settings → Custom Domains, open the domain and its Open in app panel, and choose Build it for me next to iOS. Enter two values from your app:
    • App ID Prefix — ten characters, under Membership on developer.apple.com (usually your Team ID)
    • Bundle ID — from Xcode, such as com.example.app
    Review the file and save it. If you already have an apple-app-site-association file, upload that instead.
  3. Step 3

    Add the Android file

    Google Play Console shows the file for your app: on the app’s App integrity page, under App signing, copy the Digital Asset Links JSON. Save it as assetlinks.json and upload it next to Android in the same panel.
  4. Step 4

    Name the domain in the iOS app

    In Xcode, open your target’s Signing & Capabilities, add Associated Domains, and add an entry for your domain:
    applinks:get.example.com
    Then handle the incoming link in the app — the URL arrives as a user activity — and show the matching content.
  5. Step 5

    Name the domain in the Android app

    In AndroidManifest.xml, add an intent filter to the activity that should open the links:
    <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
  <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
  <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
  <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
  <data android:scheme="https" android:host="get.example.com" />
</intent-filter>
  6. Step 6

    Upload first, release second

    Put both files in place before the new app versions reach the stores. Android checks the domain once, when the app is installed or updated, and Apple remembers a missing file for about a day — an app released before its file is live will not open links for its first users.
  7. Step 7

    Test on a device

    Typing the link into the browser’s address bar does not open apps, on either platform. Instead, install the new build and tap a link to your domain in Notes, Messages or an email.

Features in this guide