Deep linking for mobile applications
Every mobile app—whether it’s a product, a service, or a content app—benefits from sending users to a specific screen instead of the home screen. Deep linking ties links from ads, emails, push, and other channels to in-app destinations. For new installs, deferred deep linking passes that context through the install so the first open lands in the right place.
Why mobile apps need deep linking
Mobile app growth depends on turning every touchpoint into a clear path into the app. A link that opens the app on a generic home or login screen loses intent and makes attribution harder. Deep linking ensures that a campaign, notification, or shared link opens the app on the screen that matches the user’s expectation—a product, a profile, a piece of content, or a specific flow.
- Install attribution: Tie installs to the exact campaign, link, or channel.
- Onboarding and activation: New users land where the campaign promised (e.g. a trial flow or feature).
- Re-engagement: Push and email links open the app on the right screen instead of the home screen.
How it works on iOS and Android
On iOS, Universal Links let your app claim URLs from your domain so that taps open the app and pass the URL. On Android, App Links do the same. A deep linking SDK abstracts the setup—custom domains, asset links, and associated domains—and gives you a single API to create links and handle incoming URLs. For users who don’t have the app yet, a deferred deep linking solution stores the link context and applies it on first open after install.
Use cases by vertical
Deep linking for mobile applications powers vertical-specific flows: in OTT and streaming, links point to shows or movies; in ecommerce, to products or the cart; in gaming, to levels, events, or offers. The underlying mechanism is the same: a link carries context, and the app routes to the right screen. Deeplinkly supports iOS, Android, Flutter, and React Native so you can implement deep linking and deferred deep linking regardless of your stack.
Summary
Deep linking for mobile applications connects every link to an in-app destination. Use it for install attribution, onboarding, and re-engagement. Pair it with deferred deep linking for new installs so the first open lands on the right screen. For the basics, see what is deep linking.
Deeplinkly provides deep linking and deferred deep linking for iOS, Android, Flutter, and React Native. Lightweight SDKs, custom domains, and transparent pricing.
Start free →Frequently asked questions
- How do I add deep linking to my mobile app?
- Register your domain with the app: host an apple-app-site-association file for iOS universal links and an assetlinks.json for Android App Links, declare the associated domain in your iOS entitlements and an intent filter with autoVerify in your Android manifest, then handle the incoming URL in code and route to the matching screen. A generator can produce both association files correctly.
- What is the apple-app-site-association file?
- It is a JSON file hosted at /.well-known/apple-app-site-association on your domain that tells iOS which app is allowed to open which URL paths. It must be served over HTTPS as application/json, with no redirects, and it lists your team ID and bundle ID together with the path patterns your app should handle.
- What is assetlinks.json?
- It is Android's equivalent of the AASA file, hosted at /.well-known/assetlinks.json. It declares which app package is permitted to handle links for your domain, verified using your app's SHA-256 signing certificate fingerprint. With it in place and autoVerify set, Android opens your app directly instead of showing a chooser dialog.
- Which platforms does Deeplinkly support?
- Deeplinkly provides SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and Web, so a single link configuration works across every surface your app ships on.
- How long does deep linking take to set up?
- Basic link routing is typically a few hours once the association files are hosted and DNS has propagated. Full setup including deferred deep linking and attribution is usually under a day, and teams migrating from another provider generally finish within 48 hours.