Deep Linking: Go Beyond the App's Home Screen
A deep link is a URL for a specific screen inside your app, not just its front door. Use it to let users jump directly to content from emails, websites, or other apps, but be sure to handle state changes like login before redirecting.
WHY IT EXISTS Apps without deep linking are silos; the only way in is through the front door (the home screen). This makes it impossible to share or link to specific content within the app. Deep linking was created to make native app content as addressable and accessible as content on the web.
THE MENTAL MODEL A deep link is like a specific street address for a piece of content inside your app. A standard app launch is like being dropped off at the city limits. A deep link takes you directly to the 4th floor, Apartment 4B—a specific user profile, a document, or a product page. It's a URL that navigates your app's UI.
HOW IT WORKS On iOS, this is implemented using Universal Links (for standard https:// URLs) or Custom URL Schemes (e.g., myapp://). You configure your app to be associated with a domain or scheme. When a user taps a matching link, iOS launches your app and passes the URL to it. Your app delegate or scene delegate receives this URL, parses it, and navigates the UI to the correct screen and state.
WHEN TO USE IT Use deep links to create seamless user journeys. Three key places: first, in marketing campaigns to take users from an email or ad directly to a featured product. Second, for user-to-user sharing, allowing someone to send a link to a specific article or piece of content. Third, for integrating with system services like Spotlight Search or Siri Shortcuts.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT Avoid using deep links for internal navigation when the user is already in the app; use your native navigation controllers for that. It's overkill and less efficient. Also, be cautious about embedding sensitive, single-use tokens in deep links, as URLs can be logged, shared, or replayed.
ONE CANONICAL EXAMPLE A user taps a link https://my-store.com/products/12345. Your app is configured with an Associated Domain for my-store.com. Instead of Safari opening, iOS opens your app. Your app delegate's continue userActivity method is called with the URL. Your code parses the path, finds the product ID 12345, and navigates the user directly to the detail screen for that product. The biggest footgun is state management: if the user isn't logged in, you must show the login screen, then automatically resume navigation to product 12345 after they authenticate. Dropping them on the home screen after login is a poor user experience.
Read the original → developer.apple.com
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