Deep Linking

Overview

Deep Linking enables your Android application to open specific pages or sections directly in response to user actions, such as clicking on a push notification or a hyperlink. This feature enhances user engagement by providing seamless navigation to relevant app content.

Use Case

1. Purpose:

   • Navigate users to specific in-app locations from external sources.

   • Drive engagement with personalized and targeted app experiences.

2. Benefits:

   • Simplify navigation for users by bypassing general entry points like the home screen.

   • Enable marketing campaigns that direct users to promotional pages or specific features.

Implementation Details

1. Standardized URI Requirements:

   • Define URI schemes and host paths to configure deep linking.

   • Ensure URI compatibility with app actions specified in the manifest.

2. Manifest Configuration: Add the following intent filter in the app's AndroidManifest.xml to specify deep link handling:

   <activity android:name=".DeepLinkActivity">
   	<intent-filter>
   		<data android:scheme="apx"/>
   		<data android:host="deeplink"/>
   		<action android:name="com.appoxee.VIEW_DEEPLINK"/>
   		<category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
   		<category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE"/>
   		<category android:name="${applicationId}" />  //mandatory for Android FCM SDK v6.0.9 and later
   	</intent-filter>
   </activity>

3. Activity Setup: Create a DeepLinkActivity to handle deep links:

       @Override
       protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
           super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
           
           if (getIntent() != null) {
               handleIntent(getIntent());
           }
       }
       
       @Override
       protected void onNewIntent(Intent intent) {
           super.onNewIntent(intent);
           handleIntent(intent);
       }
   
       private void handleIntent(Intent intent) {
           if (APX_LAUNCH_DEEPLINK_ACTION.equals(intent.getAction())) {
               Uri uri = intent.getData();
               finalLink = uri.getQueryParameter("link");
               String protocol = uri.getScheme();
               String server = uri.getAuthority();
               String path = uri.getPath();
               String query = uri.getQuery();
               String link = uri.getQueryParameter("link");
               String messageId = uri.getQueryParameter("message_id");
   
               // use data from deep link to open WebBrowser, another Activity, etc.
           }
       }

Keep in mind:

• Ensure deep link URIs are well-documented for marketing and campaign teams.

• Test deep link functionality across different Android versions to validate compatibility.

• Include fallback mechanisms for unsupported or malformed links.