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Allowing Apps and Websites to Link to Your Content Apple Developer Documentation

The document explains how to use universal links to connect directly to content within an app, allowing users to open the app without routing through a browser. It outlines the steps to support universal links, including creating a two-way association between the app and website and updating the app delegate. Additionally, it describes how apps can communicate through universal links, enabling data transfer without third-party servers.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

2 views

Allowing Apps and Websites to Link to Your Content Apple Developer Documentation

Uploaded by

j7yzksvtnn

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Documentation

Xcode /

Allowing apps and

websites to link to your
content
Use universal links to link directly to
content within your app and share
data securely.

Overview
You can connect to content deep inside your
app with universal links. Users open your app
in a specified context, allowing them to
accomplish their goals efficiently.

When users tap or click a universal link, the

system redirects the link directly to your app
without routing through Safari or your
website. In addition, because universal links
are standard HTTP or HTTPS links, one URL
works for both your website and your app. If
the user has not installed your app, the
system opens the URL in Safari, allowing your
website to handle it.

When users install your app, the system

checks a file stored on your web server to
verify that your website allows your app to
open URLs on its behalf. Only you can store
this file on your server, securing the
association of your website and your app.

Support universal links

Take the following steps to support universal
links:

P. Create a two-way association between

your app and your website and specify the
URLs that your app handles, as described
in Supporting associated domains.

R. Update your app delegate to respond to

the user activity object the system
provides when a universal link routes to
your app, as described in Supporting
universal links in your app.

With universal links, users open your app

when they click links to your website within
Safari and WKWebView, and when they click
links that result in a call to:

open(_:options:completion
Handler:) in iOS and tvOS

openSystemURL(_:) in watchOS

open(_:withApplicationAt:
configuration:completion
Handler:) in macOS

openURL in SwiftUI

Note
If your app uses one of the above
methods to open a universal link to your
website, the link wonʼt open in your app.

When a user browses your website in Safari

and taps a universal link in the same domain,
the system opens that link in Safari,
respecting the userʼs most likely intent to
continue within the browser. If the user taps a
universal link in a different domain, the
system opens the link in your app.

Communicate with other apps

Apps can communicate through universal
links. Supporting universal links allows other
apps to send small amounts of data directly
to your app without using a third-party
server.

Define the parameters that your app handles

within the URL query string. The following
example code for a photo library app
specifies parameters that include the name of
an album and the index of a photo to display.

https://myphotoapp.example.com/albums?alb
https://myphotoapp.example.com/albums?alb

Other apps craft URLs based on your domain,

path, and parameters and ask your app to
open them by calling:

The open(_:options:completion
Handler:) method of UIApplication
in iOS and tvOS

The openSystemURL(_:) method of

WKExtension in watchOS

The open(_:withApplicationAt:
configuration:completion
Handler:) method of NSWorkspace in
macOS

The openURL environment value in SwiftUI

The calling app can ask the system to inform

it when your app opens the URL.

In this example code, an app calls your

universal link in iOS and tvOS:

if let appURL = URL(string: "https://myph

UIApplication.shared.open(appURL) { s
if success {
print("The URL was delivered
} else {
print("The URL failed to open
}
}
} else {
print("Invalid URL specified.")
}

In this example code, an app calls your

universal link in watchOS:

if let appURL = URL(string: "https://myph

WKExtension.shared().openSystemURL(ap
} else {
print("Invalid URL specified.")
}

In this example code, an app calls your

universal link in macOS:

if let appURL = URL(string: "https://myph

let configuration = NSWorkspace.OpenC
NSWorkspace.shared.open(appURL, confi
guard error == nil else {
print("The URL failed to open
return
}
print("The URL was delivered succ
}
} else {
print("Invalid URL specified.")
}