How To: Set up App Links

Updated on 5. April 2024 by Jan Bunk

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The Difference Between App Links and Deep Links

App links (also called universal links on iOS) look like regular https links, for example https://webtoapp.design. When you click the link on a device where the app for this website is installed, the link will be opened in the app. If the app is not installed, the link will be opened in the browser.

Deep links use a different scheme instead of https, for example app600://webtoapp.design. When you click the link on a device where the app for this website is installed, the link will be opened in the app. If the app is not installed, nothing happens.

So the main difference is for users that don't have the app installed. If you want them to also be able to use the links (for example because you use the links in e-mails that are received by all customers), you need to use app links.

In this guide we'll show you how to configure app links.

Setting up App Links

Because app links are more powerful than deep links, they need a bit more setup. For security reasons, you need to prove that you own the domain you want to use for your app links.

Android

  1. Open the Google Play Console "App Signature" page.
  2. Select your app.

  3. Copy the SHA-256 fingerprint.

    Copy the SHA-256 fingerprint.
  6. Host the assetlinks.json file on your website at this URL:
    Make sure that the file is accessible at that exact URL and without any redirects.

iOS

  1. Download the apple-app-site-association file for your app
  2. Host the apple-app-site-association file on your website at this URL:
    Notice that (unlike with assetlinks.json) there should be no file ending.
    Make sure that the file is accessible at that exact URL and without any redirects.

A nice side effect of hosting the apple-app-site-association file is that it will also enable the iOS password autofill feature in your app.

For All Platforms

Once you've completed the platform-specific setups, please follow these next steps:

  1. Enable app links in your app dashboard
  2. Update your app
Author Jan Bunk
Written by
Jan Bunk

Hi, I'm Jan! I created webtoapp.design in 2019 while studying computer science in university. A lot has changed since then - not only have I graduated, but it's also no longer just me running webtoapp.design. We've grown to a global, fully remote team and have gathered lots of experience around app development and app publishing. We've created and published hundreds of apps in the app stores, where they've been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.