{"id":574,"date":"2026-03-22T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tolinku.com\/blog\/?p=574"},"modified":"2026-03-07T03:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T08:48:18","slug":"android-manifest-deep-link-configuration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tolinku.com\/blog\/android-manifest-deep-link-configuration\/","title":{"rendered":"Android Manifest Configuration for Deep Links"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The AndroidManifest.xml<\/code> file is the entry point for all deep link configuration in an Android app. Every URL your app should handle, every path pattern it should match, and the autoVerify<\/code> flag that enables App Links verification all live here. Getting this configuration right is a prerequisite for Android App Links to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tutorial walks through every relevant element and attribute, from a basic single-activity setup to more complex configurations with multiple activities and path patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Android Routes Deep Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a user taps a URL, Android checks which installed apps have declared an interest in handling that URL. This matching happens through intent filters: XML declarations in AndroidManifest.xml<\/code> that tell the system which URLs, schemes, hosts, and paths an activity can handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For custom URI schemes (like myapp:\/\/<\/code>), any app can declare any scheme. For HTTPS App Links, Android adds a verification step: the system fetches https:\/\/yourdomain.com\/.well-known\/assetlinks.json<\/code> and confirms that your app is authorized to handle URLs at that domain. This prevents other apps from hijacking your URLs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Android documentation on creating deep links to app content<\/a> covers the routing mechanism in full. The App Links verification<\/a> documentation covers the verification flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Intent Filter Structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A deep link intent filter goes inside an <activity><\/code> element. Here is the minimal configuration for handling a single HTTPS URL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<activity\n    android:name=".MainActivity"\n    android:exported="true">\n\n    <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">\n        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" \/>\n        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" \/>\n        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" \/>\n        <data\n            android:scheme="https"\n            android:host="yourdomain.com" \/>\n    <\/intent-filter>\n\n<\/activity>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Every App Links intent filter requires exactly these three <action><\/code> and <category><\/code> elements. They are not optional:<\/p>\n\n\n\n