$30 off During Our Annual Pro Sale. View Details »

Debunking myths about deep links

Debunking myths about deep links

Slides presented at Droidcon Berlin 2018.
Details: https://www.de.droidcon.com/Sessions/DEBUNKING-MYTHS-ABOUT-THE-DEEP-LINKS

--

"Imagine a Web without URLs. That's how mobile apps world looks like without deep links." - VentureBeat.

According to AppSight data, only 41% of top Android apps have deep links implemented. Why? It is not obvious how you can leverage them beyond basic cases and implementation is not as transparent as documentation states.

In the first part of the talk, Vitaliy will show how you can use deep links to create an excellent onboarding experience, how to get more organic installs with app indexing and referral campaigns and more. In the second part, we will talk about the inconsistency in the deep links implementation on Android and iOS, technical limitations of App Links, Universal Links, custom schemas and what are the missing parts of the deep linking ecosystem that you will have to build on your own.

Do not expect step by step implementation guide, the talk contains learnings from 4 years of experience in building deferred deep linking platforms you can not find in the documentation.

Vitaliy Zasadnyy

June 26, 2018
Tweet

More Decks by Vitaliy Zasadnyy

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. Vitaliy Zasadnyy
    Head of Mobile @ GetSocial
    DEEP LINKING MYTHS
    DEBUNKED

    View Slide

  2. View Slide

  3. @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  4. @zasadnyy
    FRUSTRATION

    View Slide

  5. @zasadnyy
    MYTH

    View Slide

  6. Vitaliy Zasadnyy
    Head of Mobile @ GetSocial
    DEEP LINKING MYTHS
    DEBUNKED

    View Slide

  7. GDG Lead
    Public Speaker
    Head of Mobile
    @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  8. View Slide

  9. View Slide

  10. View Slide

  11. BRIEF HISTORY

    View Slide

  12. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    2006

    View Slide

  13. @zasadnyy
    [deep lingk]
    noun
    1.Digital Technology.A link that sends traffic to an internal web page
    with specific content.

    View Slide

  14. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    First mobile deep links
    2006
    2008

    View Slide

  15. @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  16. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    First mobile deep links
    First app-to-app linking
    2006
    2008
    2012

    View Slide

  17. @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  18. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    First mobile deep links
    First app-to-app linking
    The boom
    2006
    2008
    2012
    2013-14

    View Slide

  19. @zasadnyy
    MOBILE E-COMMERCE

    View Slide

  20. @zasadnyy
    URI SCHEMES
    market://details?id=im.getsocial.demo
    reddit://r/androiddev

    View Slide

  21. @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  22. @zasadnyy
    eBay://launch?itm=360703170135
    eBay://item/view?id=360703170135
    iOS
    Android

    View Slide

  23. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    First mobile deep links
    First app-to-app linking
    The boom
    The standards
    2006
    2008
    2012
    2013-14
    2015

    View Slide

  24. @zasadnyy
    Android
    App Links
    iOS
    Universal Links

    View Slide

  25. @zasadnyy
    UNIVERSAL (APP) LINKS
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/
    details?id=im.getsocial.demo
    https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/

    View Slide

  26. @zasadnyy

    View Slide

  27. @zasadnyy
    First mentions… in courts
    First mobile deep links
    First app-to-app linking
    The boom
    The standards
    The next big thing
    2006
    2008
    2012
    2013-14
    2015
    Now

    View Slide

  28. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Link click
    No
    Open the
    web page
    DEEP LINKS

    View Slide

  29. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    No
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Deep link
    data lost
    Link click
    DEEP LINKS

    View Slide

  30. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    No
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Link click
    DEFERRED DEEP LINKS

    View Slide

  31. @zasadnyy
    MYTH

    View Slide

  32. #1
    NOBODY CARES ABOUT
    DEEP LINKS

    View Slide

  33. Source: @JakeWharton

    View Slide

  34. @zasadnyy
    CONTENT DEEP LINKING
    It’s cool… yeah

    View Slide

  35. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    No
    Link click
    DEFERRED DEEP LINKS
    Deep link to
    in-app content

    View Slide

  36. @zasadnyy
    DRIVE WEB USERS TO APP

    View Slide

  37. @zasadnyy
    DRIVE WEB USERS TO APP

    View Slide

  38. @zasadnyy
    PHYSICAL WEB
    https://droidconde.gsc.im/1/app

    View Slide

  39. @zasadnyy
    PERSONALISED ON-BOARDING
    77%
    Higher Day 1
    retention

    View Slide

  40. @zasadnyy
    APP INDEXING

    View Slide

  41. @zasadnyy
    FIREBASE APP INDEXING

    View Slide

  42. EVERYWHERE
    DEEP LINKS ARE

    View Slide

  43. #2
    ANDROID GIVES ALL WE
    NEED FOR DEEP LINKS

    View Slide

  44. @zasadnyy
    APP LINKS

    View Slide

  45. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Link click
    No
    Open the
    web page
    APP LINKS

    View Slide

  46. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    No
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Link click
    DEFERRED DEEP LINKS
    ?

    View Slide

  47. @zasadnyy
    THE MISSING BITS
    Landing page
    Redirection logic
    Temporary data storage
    API

    View Slide

  48. @zasadnyy
    1 [id]:[data]
    referrer=[id]
    2 INSTALL_REFERRER=[id]
    3
    4 [data]
    [id]

    View Slide

  49. @zasadnyy
    INSTALL REFERRER
    Some apps remove referrer parameter
    INSTALL_REFERRER may be delayed
    INSTALL_REFERRER may not arrive
    Google Play Install Referrer API

    View Slide

  50. @zasadnyy
    WHAT IF …?

    View Slide

  51. @zasadnyy
    DEVICE FINGERPRINTING

    View Slide

  52. @zasadnyy
    1 [id]:[data]
    referrer=[id]
    2 INSTALL_REFERRER=[id]
    3
    4 [data]
    [fingerprint]:
    [id]
    [fingerprint]:

    View Slide

  53. @zasadnyy
    DEVICE FINGERPRINTING
    Not precise
    GDPR
    The only way on iOS

    View Slide

  54. APP LINKS
    API
    FINGERPRINTING
    LANDING
    REDIRECTION
    ORAGE
    UX!

    View Slide

  55. #3
    IMPLEMENTATION
    IS STRAIGHTFORWARD

    View Slide

  56. @zasadnyy
    We’ll take care

    View Slide

  57. @zasadnyy
    Ok, ok we’re back

    View Slide

  58. @zasadnyy
    DEEP LINKING STANDARDS

    View Slide

  59. Just Links
    WEB

    View Slide

  60. Just Links
    MOBILE
    Universal Links App Links
    iOS Android
    URI Schemes
    Facebook App Links
    Chrome Intents
    WEB

    View Slide

  61. Universal Links App Links
    iOS Android
    URI Schemes
    Facebook App Links
    Chrome Intents
    Pre iOS 9
    iOS 9+
    Never actually worked
    Android 6+
    Android only

    View Slide

  62. View Slide

  63. YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT
    ALL STANDARDS

    View Slide

  64. @zasadnyy
    App installed?
    Yes
    No
    Deep link to
    in-app content
    Link click
    DEFERRED DEEP LINKS
    ?

    View Slide

  65. @zasadnyy
    Deep Link

    View Slide

  66. @zasadnyy
    EDGE CASES

    View Slide

  67. @zasadnyy
    “IMPROVED” ANDROID BROWSERS
    Amazing presentation about Android browsers https://goo.gl/jbHLx6

    View Slide

  68. @zasadnyy
    LOCKING USERS INSIDE THE PLATFORM

    View Slide

  69. View Slide

  70. 400+

    View Slide

  71. MAINTENANCE
    IS A HELL

    View Slide

  72. #4
    I WILL HAVE TO BUILD IT
    ON MY OWN ?!

    View Slide

  73. @zasadnyy
    and more…

    View Slide

  74. SUMMARY

    View Slide

  75. Source: @JakeWharton

    View Slide

  76. THAT’S HOW MOBILE CAN LOOK LIKE WITHOUT
    DEEP LINKS

    IMAGINE A WEB WITHOUT URLS…
    - VentureBeat

    View Slide

  77. @zasadnyy
    ECOSYSTEM
    2
    Concepts
    5
    Standards
    400+
    Test scenarios
    30+
    Edge cases
    ?
    Custom solution
    for deferred deep links

    View Slide

  78. TO AMAZE USERS
    WE HAVE
    THE POWER

    View Slide

  79. @zasadnyy
    KEEP BUILDING
    getsocial.im
    @zasadnyy

    View Slide