The document discusses deep linking, which allows opening an app directly to a specific section or content through a link. It describes how deep linking works using URL schemes on Android and iOS, and how this enables various types of links from ads, emails, SMS, social media, etc. to open the corresponding app. The document provides recommendations for implementing deep linking, including starting simply with website and banner links, and progressing to more advanced options that integrate with Facebook, Twitter, and Google app indexing. It also covers tricky technical aspects and resources for implementing deep linking.

1. Deep linking
@AlexJubien

2. @AlexJubien

3. Pioneer of mobile development

4. 2003 - 2007
Games

5. 2003 - 2007
Games Apps

6. Deezer
2008 - 2012
(main competitor of Spotify)

7. Deezer Viadeo
2008 - 2012
(main competitor of Spotify) (main competitor of Linkedin)

8. ThinkMobile
Mobile Strategy Consulting

9. 2010 at Deezer:
Project ‘Url Handler’

10. The issue

11. Why does it happen?
HTTP URLs are not supported by apps
/ no standard format for URL in apps

12. Why does it happen?
HTTP URLs are not supported by apps
/ no standard format for URL in apps
=> Deep linking is the solution

13. What the hell is
deep linking?

14. What the hell is
deep linking?
A way to open an app directly
to a specific section or content,
thanks to a link

15. Example: specific ad
Your appAnother app

16. Ad2App
Your app
What Deep Linking allows:

17. Ad2App
SMS2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345
What Deep Linking allows:

18. Ad2App
SMS2App
QR2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345
What Deep Linking allows:

19. Ad2App
Email2App
SMS2App
QR2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345
What Deep Linking allows:

20. Ad2App
Web2App
Email2App
SMS2App
QR2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345
What Deep Linking allows:

21. Ad2App
Social2App
Web2App
Email2App
SMS2App
QR2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345
What Deep Linking allows:

22. What Deep Linking allows:
Ad2App
App2App
Social2App
Web2App
Email2App
SMS2App
QR2App
Your app
StockApp : CLGC –
10%, wanna buy?
http://stockapp.com/
12345

23. Deep Linking
=
Everything2App

24. Leverage your digital marketing
efforts also for your apps

25. How it works
/ Url Scheme

26. Url Scheme
A technical mechanism to launch an app,
with parameters
myapp://myparameters?yy=zz

27. Url Scheme
A technical mechanism to launch an app,
with parameters
myapp://myparameters?yy=zz
Ex.: fb://, skype://, deezer://, spotify://, …

28. Url Scheme
twitter://user?screen_name=AlexJubien
QR Code made with

29. Issues
• Not a standard
• Not multi-platform
• Not a HTTP url / crappy fail when not
handled:
• Desktop web browser
• App is not installed
• …

30. How it works
/ Flow

31. Click
Desktop
web
Mobile?
Yes
No
Analyze
User
Agent
www.myDomain.com/content/xyz

32. App
Store
App
Installed
?
No
IOS
/
Android
?
Google
Play
Android
iOS

33. Android
URL
Intent
Filter
App
Store
App
Installed
?
Yes
No
IOS
/
Android
?
Google
Play
IOS
/
Android
?
Android
iOS
Web
redirect
myApp://content/xyz
iOS
Android

34. Focus: Social2App
/ Growth Hacking

35. Viral mechanics
Production ! Consumption

36. Viral mechanics
Production ! Consumption
Features in product lead
users to share contents on
social networks

37. Viral mechanics
Production ! Consumption
Features in product lead
users to share contents on
social networks
Consumption of these
contents generates
acquisition or retention
(and thus more production)

38. => Benefits both for users
and for the digital service
Viral mechanics
Production ! Consumption
Features in product lead
users to share contents on
social networks
Consumption of these
contents generates
acquisition or retention
(and thus more production)

39. Social2App
Download Deezer
Launch app

40. Social2App
AppStore
Download Deezer
Launch app
INSTALL
Sharings generates downloads

41. Social2App
AppStore
App
Download Deezer
Launch app
INSTALL
and re-engagement

42. Social2App
AppStore
App
Cookie used to
record choice
Download Deezer
Launch app
INSTALL

43. iOS Smart App Banner
• Allows deep linking
• But quite no publisher do
it right!
• Not multi-platform
• Can’t remember choice

44. Resources

45. Related frameworks / tools
(acquired by Yahoo!)
APPURL
URX

46. Related frameworks / tools
(acquired by Yahoo!)
Do you really need them?
=> at least, ensure your techies study them
APPURL
URX

47. Facebook / App Links
Facebook doc

48. Twitter App Card
• Proprietary mechanisms
for rich media formats in
their native apps
• Twitter doc

49. Google App Indexing
Search results on Android open app directly!
(doc)

50. Deferred Deep Linking
• Uses ad tracking technologies
• Allows to open app directly to the right
content or section at 1st launch AFTER
INSTALL
• Tapstream tech / Article

51. • Quixey / AppUrl:
‘The Problem’ (part 1) – Article
• Quixey / AppUrl:
‘The Solution’ (part 2) – Article
Some articles

52. • Quixey / AppUrl:
‘The Problem’ (part 1) – Article
• Quixey / AppUrl:
‘The Solution’ (part 2) – Article
• HasOffers:
‘Past, present and future of mobile marketing’ – Article
• Facebook:
‘An industry standard for linking on mobile’ – Article
• AppTweak:
‘The future of deep linking from app to app’ – Article
Some articles

53. Recommendations

54. Simple and cheap
• Rely on your website (desktop or mobile)
• Implement iOS Smart App banner (the
right way!)
• Use intent filter on Android

55. Simple and cheap
• Rely on your website (desktop or mobile)
• Implement iOS Smart App banner (the
right way!)
• Use intent filter on Android
• Suboptimal, many issues (UX, not flexible,
not suited for ads, bad tracking, …)
• Costs on app side, quite no maintenance

56. Advanced
• Want to get big on mobile?
=> Grab your techies and build your own
deep linking routing platform!
• Remember UX should prevail

57. Advanced
• Want to get big on mobile?
=> Grab your techies and build your own
deep linking routing platform!
• Remember UX should prevail
• Add support for FB App Links, Twitter App
Cards, Google App Indexing
• Use these slides as your cookbook!

58. For your techies

59. Tricky points
• App has to be able to launch on any
section or content
• Nicely handle what is supported… and
what isn’t! (implement a fallback? – at
least, track failures)
• Fragmentation and maintenance
• Proper tracking is hard to build!
• Particular case when app is uninstalled

60. Reco on URL Scheme
• AppURL recommends not using schemes
like yelp, imdb or spotify. These schemes
may look nice, but there's no system for
avoiding naming conflicts with them.
• Instead, AppURL recommends you use
your website's (sub)domain as your
scheme.

61. Crappy tinkering
• To detect if app in installed from Javascript :
" http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1108693/is-it-possible-to-register-
a-httpdomain-based-url-scheme-for-iphone-apps-like/
1109200#1109200
" http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13044805/how-to-check-if-an-
app-is-installed-from-a-web-page-on-an-iphone
" http://jesseditson.com/clean-ish-mobile-web-deep-linking-for-ios-
and-android
" http://fokkezb.nl/2013/09/20/url-schemes-for-ios-and-android-2/

62. Various
• A directory of URLSchemes:
http://handleopenurl.com/
• A proxy-standard for app to app
communication / using part of an app in
another one: http://x-callback-url.com/