Deep linking
What is an Android intent URL?
Short answer
An intent URL is a link format for Chrome on Android that starts with intent:// and names an app’s scheme and package. If the app is installed, Chrome opens it on the right screen. If not, Chrome opens the web address given in browser_fallback_url, or the app’s Google Play page when there is none.
Reading the format
Everything before #Intent is the path the app should open. scheme and package say which app. S.browser_fallback_url is the web address to use when the app is missing, and end closes the block. Leave the web address out and Chrome sends people to Google Play instead. The whole thing is one string, so a single missing semicolon breaks it.
Where it doesn’t work
Intent URLs are an Android feature, so iPhones don’t understand them. Some in-app browsers ignore them too, which means testing inside the apps where your link will actually be shared.
For links you publish widely, an App Link or a smart link is easier to manage. Intent URLs are most useful as the Android step inside one, for example to open the app from a browser that won’t follow an App Link.
intent://product/42#Intent;scheme=myapp;package=com.example.app;endRelated terms
- URI scheme
A URI scheme is a custom prefix such as myapp:// that an app registers so that links starting with it open the app, for example myapp://product/42. It is the quickest kind of deep link to set up, but nothing checks who owns a scheme, and nothing happens when the app isn’t installed.
- Android App Links
Android App Links are https links that Android has verified as belonging to your app, so a tap opens the app directly instead of asking which app to use. They work on Android 6 and later on devices with Google services, and need an intent filter with autoVerify plus an assetlinks.json file on your domain.
- In-app browser
An in-app browser is the built-in browser that apps such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn use to open links without sending people out of the app. Because it keeps them inside, Universal Links and App Links often don’t open your app from there, and people land on a web page instead.
One link for every phone
Create a free smart link and QR code that sends iPhones to the App Store, Android phones to Google Play and desktops to your website.