DeepLink - Deep Link Settings
Deep linking allows you to send users to a specific in-app location. By using the deep linking feature of the Airbridge tracking link, users who click ads can be sent to the intended in-app location instead of the home screen.
Ask a developer for help
Knowledge of app development is required for the deep link configuration. Ask a developer for help to configure the deep link settings.
You can create deep links after providing the information required for deep link configuration to Airbridge. When configuring the deferred deep linking feature, the deep link can send users who didn't install your app to the app store page and redirect that user to the intended in-app page once the user installs and launches your app.
To use Airbridge's deep linking features, navigate to [Tracking Link]>[Deep Links] and provide the necessary information. You may need help from the developer.
Refer to the following information per OS.
Note
Register all deep link information to ensure users are reliably sent to the intended app pages in various situations. Airbridge supports URL scheme deep links, App Links, and Universal Links, automatically selecting the most appropriate method based on the operating system, browser, app installation status, and more, when the app opens.
Register the following deep link information in [Tracking Link]>[Deep Links] for Android deep linking.
Deep link information | Description |
|---|---|
URL scheme | Enter your deep link URL scheme followed by |
Package name | This will be automatically entered in [Android Package Name]. |
Enter all Android sha256_cert_fingerprints in [sha256_cert_fingerprints]. Separate multiple entries with commas (,). See this article for how to obtain the sha256_cert_fingerprints. |
Attention
Make sure that you have correctly entered [Android Package Name] and [sha256_cert_fingerprints] of the app where you want deep linking to work, instead of information from another app.
Note
Register all deep link information to ensure users are reliably sent to the intended app pages in various situations. Airbridge supports URL scheme deep links, App Links, and Universal Links, automatically selecting the most appropriate method based on the operating system, browser, app installation status, and more, when the app opens.
Register the following deep link information in [Tracking Link]>[Deep Links] for iOS deep linking.
Deep link information | Description |
|---|---|
URL scheme | Enter your deep link URL scheme followed by |
App ID | Enter the App ID in [iOS App ID]. The App ID is a combination of |
After all necessary information has been provided on the [Deep Links] page, you can create tracking links on the [Tracking Link]>[Link Generation] page in the Airbridge dashboard. In the [Redirection Path] section, enter a URI scheme to create a tracking link with deep linking features.
Tracking links with deep linking features can be configured to operate as deferred deep links.
The deferred deep linking feature is effective for a limited period. Refer to the information below.
Deferred deep linking works for 1 hour after users click ads or content with tracking links. This means users without the app must install and open it within 1 hour for deferred deep linking to work. See the scenario below.
9 AM: A user without the app clicks an ad with a tracking link.
Before 10 AM: When the user installs and opens the app for the first time, they are sent to the specific app page set as the deep link destination.
After 10 AM: The deferred deep linking time limit has expired. When the user installs and opens the app for the first time, they are sent to the app’s default page, such as the home page.
Note
Deferred deep linking works on iOS 14.5 and later despite Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy, as the underlying tracking links do not collect user information or send it to Airbridge.
By adding dynamic macros to the deep link, you can redirect different users to different destinations. For example, users can be sent to different product pages depending on the product included in the ad they clicked.
You can add dynamic macros to the deep link URL entered as the final destination of the tracking link in the Airbridge dashboard. Dynamic macros are macros that change dynamically depending on the information included in the ad.
Refer to the following steps to add the dynamic macro to the deep link.
1. Go to [Tracking Link]>[Link Generation]>[Redirection], and select App (Deep Link) as [Destination].
2. In [Deep Link], enter a deep link that contains Airbridge macros ({ }) at the desired positions. For example, if the deep link is differentiated by product ID, you can enter the deep link as shown in the image below. You can add Airbridge macros to deep links in several ways:
appscheme://path?
product={product_id}appscheme://path/
{product_id}
Attention
You can enter only URL scheme deep links in [Deep Link]. Enter a specific app page URL that starts with the URL scheme you’ve registered in Airbridge.
You must encode any characters other than letters, numbers, and the special characters = ? & #
3. Click Create tracking link on the right to create a tracking link applied with the deep link you just entered. If you created a custom channel tracking link, you need to manually add parameters containing Airbridge macros to the short link. For example, if you added product={product_id} in the deep link, copy and paste the short link into a text editor, then manually add ?product={product_id} at the end of the short link.
4. Provide your tracking links to ad channels or developers, and ask them to enable dynamic filling of Airbridge macro values. If the link is an integrated channel tracking link, send it to the ad channel contact. If it’s a custom channel tracking link, send it to your developers. For integrated channel tracking links, you may also need to share information on the values to be filled into the macros with your contact, or enter that information directly in the ad channel’s dashboard during campaign setup.
Refer to the following to learn more about how the dynamic macro added to the deep link URL works.
Values filled into Airbridge macros ({ }) in tracking links are delivered to the deep link through the following process.
1. Add Airbridge macros to the deep link entered as the tracking link’s destination when creating the tracking link.
Deep link example
appscheme://path?
{airbridge_macro}
2. Below is an example tracking link with the above deep link applied. You can see the tracking link contains the Airbridge macro from the deep link.
Tracking link example
https://abr.ge/@app_name/channel_name?[...]&
airbridge_macro={airbridge_macro}
3. When users click ads or content, Airbridge macros in the tracking link are filled with values. These values are then delivered to the corresponding Airbridge macros in the deep link, completing the deep link address that gets delivered to the app.
Tracking link when ad for Product 1234 is clicked
https://abr.ge/@app_name/channel_name?[...]&
airbridge_macro=1234&[...]Deep link address delivered to the app when ad for Product 1234 is clicked
appscheme://path?
airbridge_macro=1234Tracking link when ad for Product 5678 is clicked https://abr.ge/@app_name/channel_name?[...]&
airbridge_macro=5678&[...]Deep link address delivered to the app when ad for Product 5678 is clicked
appscheme://path?
airbridge_macro=5678
4. The app sends users to the specific app page that corresponds to the above deep link.
Parameters related to deep linking can be added to tracking links that have been created using document editing tools. This method does not use APIs.
By adding parameters related to deep linking, the deep link URL and fallback path can be easily changed.
Attention
The length of the Airbridge tracking link, including the URL with the parameters related to deep linking, should not exceed 2,000 characters.
Enter the deeplink_url parameter in the deep link URL using a question mark (?) or ampersand (&). Use an equals sign (=) to enter the deep link URL to send users who installed the app to the parameter value.
Attention
Encode the deep link before entering it into the required field. If you don't, the link will not conform to the standard URL format, and deep linking will not function properly.
The scheme deep link you enter as the deep link URL must start with the URL Scheme configured on the [Tracking Link]>[Deep Links] page in the Airbridge dashboard. If you don't have a deep link URL yet, configure the [Tracking Link]>[Deep Links] page first and then request your internal development team for the deep link URL.
Refer to the example below.
See below for the sample tracking link with the deeplink_urlparameter.
Scheme deep link used in the deeplink_url: scheme://path
Tracking link with the
deeplink_urlparameter: http://abr.ge/@your_app_name/example_channel?deeplink_url=scheme%3A%2F%2Fpath
When a user who has already installed the app clicks the tracking link, the user will be redirected to the path entered as the parameter value of deeplink_url.
Add a fallback path parameter using a question mark (?) or ampersand (&). Use an equals sign (=) to enter the fallback path to send users who haven't installed the app to the parameter value. The method for entering the fallback path parameter value varies depending on the platform.
Refer to the following.
Add ?or & and input fallback_android=google-play. The tracking link with the fallback destination for Android users should look like the following:
http://abr.ge/@your_app_name/example_channel?fallback_android=google-play
If you replace google-play with your app’s Google Play Store URL, users will be redirected to the Google Play Store web page.
Add ? or & and input fallback_ios=itunes-appstore. The tracking link with the fallback destination for iOS users should look like the following:
http://abr.ge/@your_app_name/example_channel?fallback_ios=itunes-appstore
If you replace itunes-appstorewith your app’s App Store URL, users will be redirected to the App Store web page.
Add ?or & and input fallback_desktop. Then add = and your desktop fallback URL. The tracking link with the fallback destination for desktop users should look like the following:
http://abr.ge/@your_app_name/example_channel?fallback_desktop={your_desktop_fallback_url}
The desktop fallback URL must be encoded when added. Otherwise, the tracking link won’t work as intended. If you want to send users to different destinations using a dynamic parameter, read this section.
Refer to the example below.
The tracking link with fallback destinations for Android, iOS, and desktop users should look like the following:
https://abr.ge/@your_app_name/example_channel?fallback_android=google-play&fallback_ios=itunes-appstore&fallback_desktop={your_desktop_fallback_url}
{your_desktop_fallback_url}is the web URL you want to send desktop users.
If no fallback path is added, the user is redirected to the Default Airpage is where a QR code is displayed so the user can download the app. For improved user experience, we recommend adding the fallback path to the tracking link.
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