Deep links

A deep link opens a specific screen inside your installed app, such as a challenge, a referral invite or a product page. If the app is not installed, the visitor goes to the store instead, just like with your smart link. Deep links are available on Pro, Studio and Lifetime. Universal Links and Android App Links also need a custom domain, which is part of Studio.

How a deep link works

Add /open/ and the in-app path to your smart link. The query string is passed along too:

https://mapps.one/habitly/open/challenges/30-days?ref=newsletter

The fallback is wherever your smart link would send that device, following your redirect rules, with UTM tags forwarded. If that platform has no store link, the fallback is the landing page. If deep links are not set up at all, or the plan does not include them, every visitor is redirected to the smart link.

Paths may contain letters, numbers and the characters / _ - . ~ %. Other characters are removed, so percent-encode anything else, such as spaces (%20).

Set up

Open the app's Deep links tab and fill in the fields for the platforms you support:

Register the scheme in your app

iOS, in Info.plist:

<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
  <dict>
    <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
    <array>
      <string>habitly</string>
    </array>
  </dict>
</array>

Android, in AndroidManifest.xml:

<activity android:name=".MainActivity" android:exported="true">
  <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="habitly" />
  </intent-filter>
</activity>

In your app, read the incoming URL, route to the matching screen and read any query parameters you need. Send unknown paths to the home screen, because people edit URLs.

Universal Links and Android App Links

Scheme links show a short redirect page first, and iOS may ask the visitor to confirm. Verified links skip that step: when the app is installed, the system opens it directly. Verification needs a domain that belongs to your app only, so it works on your custom domain. Once get.habitly.app is connected, mapps.one serves the association files for you:

The Apple file covers every path under /open/:

{
  "applinks": {
    "details": [
      {
        "appIDs": ["A1B2C3D4E5.com.habitly.app"],
        "components": [
          { "/": "/open/*", "comment": "Deep links created with mapps.one" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "webcredentials": { "apps": ["A1B2C3D4E5.com.habitly.app"] }
}

The Android file:

[
  {
    "relation": ["delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls"],
    "target": {
      "namespace": "android_app",
      "package_name": "com.habitly.app",
      "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"
      ]
    }
  }
]

Each file returns "404 Not Found" until its fields are valid: a 10-character Team ID and a bundle ID for Apple, and a package name with at least one fingerprint in the AA:BB:... format (32 pairs) for Android. Use the fingerprint of the Play App Signing key from Play Console → App integrity, and add your upload key too if you test locally signed builds. The files are cached for an hour. Apple also caches them on its own servers, so reinstall the app to test changes.

Configure your app

iOS: add the Associated Domains capability with applinks:get.habitly.app.

Android: add a verified intent filter for your domain:

<intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
  <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="get.habitly.app" android:pathPrefix="/open/" />
</intent-filter>

Then use links like https://get.habitly.app/open/challenges/30-days in your campaigns. When the app is not installed, the browser loads the page and the same fallback flow runs.

Analytics

An open is counted under Deep link opens when a phone or tablet loads an /open/ URL and mapps.one tries to open the app. The fallback to the store is not counted a second time. Verified links that open the app directly never reach mapps.one, so they are not counted. Use your own app analytics for those.