Universal Link

Short definition

A Universal Link is an Apple technology that lets a standard HTTPS URL open directly inside a specified iOS app when the app is installed, and fall back to Safari (or a website) when it is not.

Detailed

Universal Links are enabled by hosting an `apple-app-site-association` JSON file at the root of your HTTPS domain and declaring the associated domains in the app's entitlements. They replaced the older, easily-spoofable custom URL schemes and are the Apple counterpart to Android's App Links. Deep links inside a Universal Link let the app route users to specific content — product pages, chats, articles — without an intermediary browser redirect.

Example

An indie shopping app registers `shop.example.com` as an associated domain. When a user taps `https://shop.example.com/products/blue-shoes` in an email, iOS checks for the installed app, opens it directly to the blue-shoes product page, and skips Safari entirely. If the app is not installed, the URL loads the mobile site instead.

Primary sources

• Apple — Supporting Universal Links →

Related terms

• App Store Connect
  App Store Connect is Apple's web and API console for submitting, managing, and distributing iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS apps on the Apple App Store.
• ASO
  App Store Optimization (ASO) is the practice of improving a mobile app's visibility and conversion rate inside app stores such as the Apple App Store and Google Play.
• Google Play Console
  Google Play Console is Google's web and API console for publishing and managing Android apps and games on the Google Play Store.