Skip to content
Tolinku Docs

What is Deep Linking?

Deep linking is the practice of using a URL to open a specific screen inside a mobile app, rather than just opening the app’s home screen or a web page.

Section titled “The problem deep links solve”

Without deep links, sharing a link to app content is frustrating:

  1. A user taps a link to a product in your app.
  2. The link opens in a browser (not the app).
  3. The user sees a web page, or worse, a “page not found” error.
  4. To get to the product in the app, the user has to open the app manually and search for it.

With deep links, tapping the link opens the product screen directly in the app.

Section titled “Types of deep links”
Section titled “Standard deep links”

A standard deep link opens a specific screen in the app when the user already has it installed. If the app is not installed, the link falls back to a web page or app store listing.

Example: https://myapp.tolinku.com/product/123 opens the product with ID 123 in the app.

Section titled “Deferred deep links”

A deferred deep link works even when the user does not have the app installed. The link remembers the intended destination, sends the user to the app store to install, and then routes them to the correct screen after they open the app for the first time.

Example: A user taps a referral link, installs the app, and lands directly on the referral welcome screen instead of the default onboarding flow.

See What is Deferred Deep Linking? for details.

Section titled “Contextual deep links”

A contextual deep link carries metadata beyond just the destination. This metadata can personalize the experience: showing a welcome message with the referrer’s name, pre-filling a promo code, or skipping onboarding steps.

Section titled “How deep links work on each platform”
Section titled “iOS (Universal Links)”

Apple’s Universal Links use a verification file (AASA) hosted on your domain. When iOS detects a link that matches a verified domain, it opens the app directly instead of the browser.

See What are Universal Links? for the technical details.

Section titled “Android (App Links)”

Android App Links use a similar verification file (assetlinks.json) hosted on your domain. When Android verifies the link, it opens the app without showing a disambiguation dialog.

See What are App Links? for the technical details.

Section titled “Why deep links matter”
  • Reduce friction. Users get to the content they want in one tap, without navigating through the app.
  • Improve conversion. Campaigns that deep link to specific content see higher engagement and lower drop-off than campaigns that link to the home screen.
  • Enable attribution. Deep links can carry UTM parameters and referral codes, connecting installs and actions to their source.
  • Power referral programs. Deferred deep links let referral codes survive the install flow, crediting the referrer even when the referred user installs from the app store.
  • Personalize onboarding. New users can land on a personalized screen instead of a generic welcome flow.

How Tolinku helps

Section titled “How Tolinku helps”

Tolinku handles the complexity of deep linking across platforms:

  • Routes define your deep link paths and their behavior (static or dynamic).
  • Landing pages show users a branded page when the app is not installed.
  • AASA and assetlinks.json are generated and hosted automatically for your domain.
  • Deferred deep linking is built into every SDK, using token-based (Android) and signal-based (iOS) matching.
  • Analytics track every click, install, and link open so you can measure campaign performance.