Deep Linking Configuration and Requirements

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Overview

• An app’s developer will configure the app to “listen” to links of a certain format
• When a user clicks on one of these links, the link should trigger a native behaviour from the OS responsible for launching the respective app (Android or iOS)
• After the app is launched, its code might contain specific logic to redirect the user to a specific internal screen, or behave in some other particular way based on the specific link triggered

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URI Schemes

• myapp://path/to/content?key1=value1&key2=value2
• mystore://products/details?id=abc123
• youtube://watch?v=LQoohRwojmw

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Universal Linking (iOS) / App Links (Android)

• https://www.mystore.com/products?id=abc123
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQoohRwojmw
• https://twitter.com/criteo

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Deep Linking at Criteo

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Dynamic Ads

• Logo Zone: the part of the banner which has the advertiser’s branding content (logo), usually at the top-left of the banner. This is designed to redirect users to the main screen of the app. To configure it, Criteo requires:
  • (mandatory) A URI Scheme that opens the app and redirects the user to the main screen
  • (if available) A similar Universal Link/App Link
• Product Zone: the part of the banner where the products are displayed and whose resources are loaded directly from the Product Catalog. Clicks in this area are usually designed to redirect users to the product details screen within the app. To configure it, Criteo requires:
  • (mandatory) Product-specific URI Scheme deeplinks in the catalog, which open the app and redirect to the respective product details screen
  • (if available) Similar Universal Links/App Links
• Coupon Zone: area of the banner covered by Coupons (whenever configured — optional), which are designed to display special offers or seasonal discounts. If configured, Coupons might also redirect users to dedicated screens within the app. To configure it, Criteo requires:
  • (optional) URL Scheme that opens the app and redirects to the main screen
  • (optional & if available) Similar Universal Link/App Link

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Static Ads

• (mandatory) URI Scheme which opens the app and redirects to the main screen
• (if available) Similar Universal Link/App Link

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Deep Linking Setup for iOS Apps

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iOS URI Scheme Implementation

• These schemes need to be declared and configured in the info.plist file of your iOS application
• Once configured, a tap on a link of this format will trigger the app and redirect the user into it

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Universal Linking

• The links’ domain must be registered in your iOS application’s associated domains file
• The Apple App Site Association (AASA) file must be hosted on the public domain that the Universal Links should work with:
  • The AASA file is a JSON file containing the Apple App ID of the app you want the Universal Links to redirect to, as well as the paths from which app redirection should & should not happen

{
  "applinks": {
      "details": [
           {
             "appIDs": [ "ABCDE12345.com.example.app", "ABCDE12345.com.example.app2" ],
             "components": [
               {
                  "#": "no_universal_links",
                  "exclude": true,
                  "comment": "Matches any URL with a fragment that equals no_universal_links and instructs the system not to open it as a universal link."
               },
               {
                  "/": "/buy/*",
                  "comment": "Matches any URL with a path that starts with /buy/."
               },
               {
                  "/": "/help/*",
                  "?": { "articleNumber": "????" },
                  "comment": "Matches any URL with a path that starts with /help/ and that has a query string parameter with name 'articleNumber' and a value of exactly four characters."
               }
             ]
           }
       ]
   },
   "webcredentials": {
      "apps": [ "ABCDE12345.com.example.app" ]
   }
}

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Deep Linking Setup for Android Apps

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Android URI Scheme Implementation

• These schemes need to be configured in the manifest.xml of your Android application
• Once configured, a tap on a link of this format will trigger the app and redirect the user into it

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Android App Links

• The link needs to be registered in your Android application’s manifest.xml file, under a separate intent filter from that of the URI Scheme
• The Digital Asset Link file (assetlinks.json) must be hosted on the public domain that the Android App Links should work with:
  • assetlinks.json is a JSON file which contains the package name and the SHA fingerprint of the app you want the redirection from this link to work for.
    • package_name: The application ID declared in the app’s build.gradle file
    • sha256_cert_fingerprints: The SHA256 fingerprints of your app’s signing certificate. You can use the following command to generate the fingerprint via the Java key tool:

keytool -list -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore

[{
  "relation": ["delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls"],
  "target": {
    "namespace": "android_app",
    "package_name": "com.example",
    "sha256_cert_fingerprints":
    ["14:6D:E9:83:C5:73:06:50:D8:EE:B9:95:2F:34:FC:64:16:A0:83:42:E6:1D:BE:A8:8A:04:96:B2:3F:CF:44:E5"]
  }
}]