DeepLink page jump technology between mobile applications

Introduction to DeepLink

DeepLink is a technology used to jump between mobile apps. Through DeepLink, users can jump directly from one app to a specific page of another app instead of simply opening the homepage of the target app. This technology can provide a smoother user experience and can help app developers increase user engagement and retention.

In actual applications, DeepLink is usually implemented through URL Scheme or in-app links. By configuring a specific URL Scheme or link in the application, when the user clicks the URL or link containing DeepLink, the system will automatically open the target application and jump to the specified page.

In Android development, the implementation of DeepLink mainly relies on URI scheme (a custom URL protocol). Each application can define its own URI scheme so that the system can identify and parse it. When a user clicks a DeepLink link, the system will determine which application should be opened based on the URI scheme and pass the link parameters to the application.

To implement DeepLink, you need to configure the corresponding Intent Filter in the AndroidManifest.xml file and declare the DeepLink link types that the application can receive. At the same time, within the application, developers need to write code to process the passed link parameters and implement the corresponding jump logic based on the parameters. Different applications may use different URI schemes, and developers need to ensure that their applications can correctly parse and process DeepLink links. Due to differences between different device manufacturers and operating system versions, DeepLink's compatibility and performance may also vary.

For example, suppose there is an e-commerce application and a payment application. The e-commerce application wants to enable users to jump directly to the payment page of the payment application after shopping. At this time, DeepLink technology can be used to achieve this jump.

DeepLink Usage

1. First, register the DeepLink IntentFilter in the AndroidManifest.xml file . For example, if you want to handle a DeepLink named "example", you can add the IntentFilter as follows:

 <activity android:name=".ExampleActivity"> <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /> <data android:scheme="https" android:host="www.baidu.com" android:pathPrefix="/index" /> </intent-filter> </activity>

2. Process DeepLink in ExampleActivity. In the onCreate method of ExampleActivity, you can obtain the DeepLink data and process it accordingly. For example:

 @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_example); Intent intent = getIntent(); Uri data = intent.getData(); if (data != null) { String path = data.getPath(); // 获取Deep Link的路径// 根据路径进行相应的处理} }

3. Use DeepLink in web pages or other applications. You can use a link like the following on a web page to trigger your application's DeepLink:

 <a href="https://www.baidu.com/index">点击跳转到ExampleActivity</a>

When the user clicks this link, your app will open and jump to the ExampleActivity page.

Summarize

Deeplink can improve user experience, increase application exposure, achieve personalized recommendations, cross-platform jumps and marketing promotions, and other advantages.

1. Improve user experience: Through Deeplink, users can directly jump to a specific page or perform a specific operation without going through a cumbersome navigation process, which improves the user experience.
2. Increase app exposure: By using Deeplink on web pages, other apps, or social media, you can direct users to specific content within the app, increasing app exposure and user retention.
3. Personalized recommendations: Based on user behavior and preferences, Deeplink can be used to directly guide users to relevant content or functions to achieve personalized recommendations.
4. Cross-platform jump: Deeplink can jump between different applications, achieving seamless connection and interaction between applications.
5. Marketing promotion: Deeplink can be used to promote marketing activities. For example, Deeplink can be used in advertisements to directly guide users to relevant product pages.

「Notes:」

1. Intent filter: In the AndroidManifest.xml file, you need to specify an intent filter for deep linking so that the system can recognize and process the corresponding link.
2. Parameter passing: Deep links can carry parameters. Developers need to parse these parameters within the app and process them accordingly.
3. How to handle: When a user clicks a deep link, the developer needs to decide the behavior of the app, which can be to open a specific page, perform a specific operation, etc.
4. Error handling: When handling deep links, you need to consider various possible error conditions, such as incorrect link format, app not installed, etc.
5. Testing: After development, deep links need to be fully tested to ensure that they can be handled correctly in various situations.

When using Android deep links, developers need to consider aspects such as link format, parameter passing, and error handling to ensure that users can smoothly jump from external links to specific pages within the app or perform specific operations.