Setting up iOS Universal Links

setting_up_ios_universal_links.md

Setting up iOS Universal Links

Table of Contents

• Resources
  • General link resources
  • Validation tools
• Server configuration
  • Apple JSON Metadata file
    • Create a JSON file called apple-app-association
      • For iOS12 and earlier
      • For iOS13 and later
    • Sign the apple-app-site-association file using openssl
    • Upload the signed apple-app-site-association file
  • Modifying the Content-type of the apple-app-site-association file
    • Apache configuration
    • nginx configuraiton
  • Common issues
• Client configuration
  • Associated domains
  • Implement the corresponding AppDelegate methods
    • iOS 9.0 and earlier
    • iOS 9.1 and later
  • Common issues

Resources

Here are some good URLs that might be of assistance:

General link resources

• https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documentation/General/Conceptual/AppSearch/UniversalLinks.html
• https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2015-509/
• https://medium.com/@barsh/my-first-date-with-ios-universal-links-90dfabc88bb8
• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/safariservices/supporting_associated_domains_in_your_app

Validation tools

• https://search.developer.apple.com/appsearch-validation-tool/
• https://limitless-sierra-4673.herokuapp.com/

Server configuration

Follow these steps to setup Universal app linking on the web server. In this documentation we have examples for Apache2 and nginx but the same rules apply for IIS or any other webserver of your choice.

Apple JSON Metadata file

Create a JSON file called "apple-app-association"

For iOS12 and earlier

Below you'll find a template with a few examples:

{
    "applinks": {
        "apps": [],
        "details": [
            {
                "appID": "<TEAM_DEVELOPER_ID>.<BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER>",
                "paths": [ "*" ]
            },
            {
                "appID": "<TEAM_DEVELOPER_ID>.<BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER>",
                "paths": [ "/articles/*" ]
            },
            {
                "appID": "<TEAM_DEVELOPER_ID>.<ANOTHER_APP_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER>",
                "paths": ["/blog/*","/articles/*"]
            }
        ]
    }
}

PLEASE NOTE!

• The "apps": JSON key must be left as an empty array.
• The apple-app-site-association JSON file must not have a .json file extension.

For iOS13 and later

This template gives you a lot more flexibility of how to handle certain URLs on your website. For instance you can specify a required URL query item with a particular name and a value of x numbers of characters. You can exlude URLs with # that is common in AngularJS apps.

{
  "applinks": {
      "details": [
           {
             "appIDs": [ "ABCDE12345.com.example.app", "ABCDE12345.com.example.app2" ],
             "components": [
               {
                  "#": "no_universal_links",
                  "exclude": true,
                  "comment": "Matches any URL whose fragment equals no_universal_links and instructs the system not to open it as a universal link"
               },
               {
                  "/": "/buy/*",
                  "comment": "Matches any URL whose path starts with /buy/"
               },
               {
                  "/": "/help/website/*",
                  "exclude": true,
                  "comment": "Matches any URL whose path starts with /help/website/ and instructs the system not to open it as a universal link"
               }
               {
                  "/": "/help/*",
                  "?": { "articleNumber": "????" },
                  "comment": "Matches any URL whose path starts with /help/ and which has a query item with name 'articleNumber' and a value of exactly 4 characters"
               }
             ]
           }
       ]
   },
   "webcredentials": {
      "apps": [ "ABCDE12345.com.example.app" ]
   }
}

PLEASE NOTE!

• The apple-app-site-association JSON file must not have a .json file extension.

Sign the apple-app-site-association file using openssl

OBS: Please note that as of iOS9 you no longer need to sign the apple-app-site-association JSON file. However if you still need to support iOS8 or lower this is still required.

openssl smime -sign -nodetach 
-in "unsigned.json"
-out "apple-app-site-association" -outform DER 
-inkey /path/to/server.key 
-signer /path/to/server.crt

Upload the signed "apple-app-association" file

1. Upload the signed apple-app-site-association file to the server:

scp /path/to/apple-app-site-association username@example.com:~/

2. Login to the web server:

ssh username@example.com

3. Move the file to the root of the webserver (This might be another directory on your server)

mv apple-app-site-association /var/www/

Modifying the Content-type of the apple-app-site-association file

The apple-app-association-file needs to be returned with the following Content-Type:

Minimum OS version	Content-Type
iOS9 or later	application/json
iOS8 or lower	application/pkcs7-mime

Below you'll find instructions on how to do this for your web server.

Apache configuration

• Modify the /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl (or equivalent) file to include the <Files> snippet:

<Directory /path/to/root/directory/>
...
<Files apple-app-site-association>
Header set Content-type "application/json"
</Files>
</Directory>

nginx configuration

• Modify the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ssl.example.com (or equivalent) file to include the location /apple-app-assocation snippet:

server {
   ...
   location /apple-app-site-association {
      default_type application/json;
   }
}

Common issues

The JSON validation may fail if:

• The JSON file is invalid
• Redirects to something other than HTTPS
  • From our experience any redirects will make Apples webscraper bot unable to parse the JSON file, you really should avoid them
• The server returns a 400-499 HTTP status code
• The server returns a 500-599 HTTP status code
  • The Apples webscraper bot assumes that the file is temporarily unavailable and may retry again

For more information go to Apples documentation page Supporting Associated Domains in Your App and scroll down to the section "Validate the Apple App Site Association File".

Client configuration

Associated domains

1. In Xcode go to <MyApp>.xcodeproj/<Build target>/Capabilities and turn on Associated domains.

2. Enter the domains you want the iOS app to respond to.

• This will generate a <AppName>.entitlements file that needs to be included in the project.
• Please note that you need to enter subdomains specifically.

Implement the corresponding AppDelegate methods

iOS 9.0 and earlier

• If you already have a custom URI scheme i.e myAppScheme://, this method will already be implemented.
• We have noticed that devices running iOS 9.0.x responds to this older method of handling app links.
• If you want to support iOS 9.0.x or earlier like iOS8/iOS7 you will need to implement this method and add a JavaScript iframe redirect to your website.

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application openURL:(NSURL *)url sourceApplication:(NSString *)sourceApplication annotation:(id)annotation;

iOS 9.1 and later

• Devices running iOS 9.1 or later supports Apple's Universal Links and to handle the incoming URL you need to implement the following methods:

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application continueUserActivity:(NSUserActivity *)userActivity restorationHandler:(void (^)(NSArray *))restorationHandler {
    NSURL *url = userActivity.webpageURL;
    // handle url
}

- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)app openURL:(NSURL *)url options:(NSDictionary<UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey, id> *)options {
    // handle url
}

Common issues

Remember that when you make changes to either:

• The <AppName>.entitlements file in your iOS project
• The apple-app-site-association JSON file

To delete the App from your testing device and compile it again. After an app has been successfully associated with a particular domain it will remain associated until the app is removed from the device.

When testing your deep links I recommend you to use either the iMessage app or the Notes app. If you use other 3rd party iOS applications such as Slack or Facebook Messenger the deeplinking might not work because that's dependent on how those 3rd party apps handle external URLs.

xcode_client_setup1.jpg

xcode_client_setup2.jpg

@anhar Hello, this guide was a saviour.

Ive managed to make it work on Safari where a banner pops up on the paths i have specified. It also works through mail apps even if i have a different default browser than Safari. It does not work for Chrome, Firefox or any other browser though.

Is this even possible in iOS or do we have to use a custom scheme which will be called by our site?

Please let me know if anyone else has faced this issue.

Edit: After some testing i found out that it works with default browser Chrome/Firefox if you click a link you support from outside your domain. The following link was very useful in terms of what works from where and when: https://help.branch.io/developers-hub/docs/ios-universal-links

@anhar Hello, this guide was a saviour.

Ive managed to make it work on Safari where a banner pops up on the paths i have specified. It also works through mail apps even if i have a different default browser than Safari. It does not work for Chrome, Firefox or any other browser though.

Is this even possible in iOS or do we have to use a custom scheme which will be called by our site?

Please let me know if anyone else has faced this issue.

Apple assumes you're using Safari, so it won't work with any other browser because Apple thinks of itself and no one else. Honestly whether the app says Chrome, or Firefox or something else, it's really safari under the hood, because Apple strictly prevents another browser engine on the iOS ecosystem, so really your hand is forced to use safari if you want the best experience.

@anhar amazing article, covers a lot more caveats than I've seen anywhere else I've looked.

There is one thing I'm a little uncertain on, is it possible to exclude a subdomain using components, or is this done by just not including that subdomain as an applinks option within the apps Associated Domains capability?