Table of Contents
- What is an Android App Link?
- How does an App Link work?
- How Android verifies App Links
- App Links are a type of mobile deep link
- App Links vs. ordinary Android deep links
- App Links vs. Apple Universal Links
- What are Dynamic App Links?
- Why App Links matter for affiliate creators
- App Links and affiliate tracking
- How App Links relate to Joylink
- The simplest way to understand App Links
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Editorial disclosure: Joylink publishes educational content for creators and affiliate marketers. Articles may reference Joylink’s products and services. Unless otherwise stated, Joylink does not receive compensation for mentioning third-party platforms or retailers.
An App Link is a verified web link that can open specific content inside an Android app.
If the app is unavailable—or the link is not supported by it—the same URL can open the corresponding webpage instead.
For example, a shopper tapping a link to a pair of headphones might arrive at:
- The exact headphones inside the retailer’s Android app, or
- The matching product page on the retailer’s mobile website
This allows one standard web address to support both app and website journeys while sending shoppers toward the content they expected to see.
What is an Android App Link?
Android App Links are HTTP or HTTPS deep links that Android has verified as belonging to a particular website and app.
Once the association is verified, a matching URL can open the corresponding content directly inside the app without asking the shopper to choose among multiple apps.
If the app is not installed, the same link can open the content on the website instead.
Android describes App Links as an enhanced form of deep linking that establishes a trusted association between an app and its website. They are supported on Android 6 and later on devices with Google services. Android’s official App Links overview explains the current behavior and availability.
How does an App Link work?
A typical Android App Link journey looks like this:
- A shopper taps a product link on an Android device.
- Android checks whether the URL belongs to a verified domain.
- It checks whether an associated app is installed and approved to handle that link.
- If it is, Android opens the matching content inside the app.
- Otherwise, the URL opens as a webpage.
- The shopper continues toward the intended action or purchase.
The link itself looks like a normal web address. It does not require the shopper to use a separate app-specific URL.
How Android verifies App Links
To support App Links, the app and website must establish a verified relationship.
The app declares which web addresses it can handle through its manifest. The website then publishes a Digital Asset Links file named
assetlinks.json, identifying the authorized app and its signing certificate.Android can check this file to confirm that the app is permitted to handle links from that domain. Once verified, matching URLs can be routed directly to the app without a disambiguation dialog. Android’s verification documentation describes how this association is checked.
This verification provides an important distinction between App Links and less controlled forms of mobile deep linking: another app should not be able to claim links for a verified domain without authorization.
App Links are a type of mobile deep link
“Mobile deep link” is the broad term. It describes a link that can open a specific location inside a mobile app.
“App Link” refers specifically to Android’s verified web-link system.
That means:
- Every App Link that opens specific app content is a mobile deep link.
- Not every Android deep link is a verified App Link.
- App Links use standard HTTP or HTTPS URLs.
- App Links establish a verified relationship between the website and app.
- Unsupported App Links can retain a functioning web destination.
Android also supports ordinary deep links and custom URI schemes, but those links do not necessarily have the same verified domain association.
App Links vs. ordinary Android deep links
Android App Link | Ordinary Android deep link |
Uses a verified website domain | May use a web URL or custom URI scheme |
Connects the app to a website through verification | May not verify domain ownership |
Can open directly in the associated app | May produce an app-selection dialog |
Can fall back to the website | A custom scheme may fail without the app |
Designed for trusted web-to-app navigation | Covers a wider range of app-routing methods |
For verified website content, Android recommends App Links because they can route users directly into the approved app without requiring them to select an app manually.
App Links vs. Apple Universal Links
Android App Links and Apple Universal Links serve similar purposes on different operating systems.
Android App Links | Apple Universal Links |
Used on Android | Used on iOS and iPadOS |
Verified through Digital Asset Links | Verified through Associated Domains |
Uses an assetlinks.json file | Uses an apple-app-site-association file |
Can open matching Android app content | Can open matching Apple app content |
Falls back to a website | Falls back to a website |
Both systems use regular web URLs and require the app and website to establish an authorized relationship.
For creators, the practical distinction is usually invisible. The shopper taps one link, and the device determines whether the associated app or website should handle it.
What are Dynamic App Links?
Android 15 introduced Dynamic App Links, which allow app owners to refine certain routing rules through the website’s
assetlinks.json file.For example, app owners can update how particular paths, query parameters or fragments are handled without publishing a new version of the app. Android notes that these capabilities require Android 15 or later and a device with Google services. Android’s App Links documentation provides the current requirements.
Dynamic App Links are primarily relevant to app owners and developers. Creators do not configure these routing rules themselves, but the rules can affect whether a shared URL opens in an app or browser.
Why App Links matter for affiliate creators
Creators commonly reach shoppers through mobile-first channels such as:
- Social content
- Instagram DMs
- Messaging communities
- Video descriptions
- Creator storefronts
If a shopper already uses the retailer’s Android app, opening the exact product there may provide a familiar and efficient path to checkout.
If the app is unavailable, the corresponding webpage provides a usable fallback.
A good App Link keeps the connection between the recommendation and destination intact. The shopper should not have to reopen the retailer, search for the product and reconstruct the original journey.
App Links and affiliate tracking
Opening the correct product does not automatically mean the creator will receive attribution.
A shopper may move among:
- A social or messaging app
- An embedded browser
- A mobile browser
- A retailer app
- A mobile checkout
- An app-install journey
Whether the referral remains eligible can depend on the retailer, affiliate network, tracking configuration and program rules.
App Links control how verified website URLs are routed on Android. They do not create affiliate tracking on their own.
Creators should use approved affiliate-link tools and test important links within the channels where they will actually appear.
How App Links relate to Joylink
Joylink helps creators create and manage tracked affiliate links for supported retailers and programs.
A creator can begin with the product or retailer destination that matches the recommendation, create a Joylink and share it through mobile-first channels. Depending on the shopper’s device and the retailer’s configuration, the destination may open inside an Android app or on the web.
App Link behavior is generally controlled by the retailer or app owner - not by the creator. Joylink manages the tracked affiliate link, while the destination platform determines how the corresponding web address is handled.
Before publishing, creators should confirm:
- The intended product appears
- The app destination works
- The website fallback works
- Affiliate tracking remains supported
- The product is available
- The content includes a clear disclosure
The simplest way to understand App Links
An App Link is one verified web address with an Android-aware destination.
When the associated app is installed and approved to handle the URL, the link can open the relevant content inside it. Otherwise, the same link can continue to the website.
For affiliate creators, the strongest journey is not simply the one that opens an app. It is the one that delivers the right product, preserves eligible tracking and gives the shopper a useful fallback.