Stay organized with collectionsSave and categorize content based on your preferences.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Starting now, goo.gl short links function as a single link you can use to all your
content—whether that content is in your Android app, iOS app, or website. Once you've taken
the necessary steps to set upApp Indexing for Android and iOS,
goo.gl URLs will send users straight to the right page in your app if they have it installed, and
everyone else to your website. This will provide additional opportunities for your app users to
re-engage with your app.
This feature works for both new short URLs and retroactively, so any existing goo.gl short links
to your content will now also direct users to your app.
Share links that 'do the right thing'
You can also make full use of this feature by integrating theURL Shortener APIinto your app's share flow, so users can share links that automatically redirect to your native
app cross-platform. This will also allow others to embed links in their websites and apps which
deep link directly to your app.
Take Google Maps as an example. With the new cross-platform goo.gl links, the Maps share button
generates one link that provides the best possible sharing experience for everyone. When opened,
the link auto-detects the user's platform and if they have Maps installed. If the user has the app
installed, the short link opens the content directly in the Android or iOS Maps app. If the user
doesn't have the app installed or is on desktop, the short link opens the page on the Maps
website.
Try it out for yourself! Don't forget to use a phone with the Google Maps app installed:https://goo.gl/maps/xlWFj.
How to set it up
To set up app deep linking on goo.gl:
Complete the necessary steps to participate in App Indexing for Android and iOS on theApp Indexing site. Note that goo.gl deep
links are open to all iOS developers, unlike deep links from Search currently. After this step,
existing goo.gl short links will start deep linking to your app.
Optionally integrate theURL Shortener APIwith your app's share flow, your email campaigns, etc. to programmatically generate links that
will deep link directly back to your app.
We hope you enjoy this new functionality and happy cross-platform sharing!
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003egoo.gl short links now automatically direct users to your app if installed, otherwise to your website, enhancing user engagement.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThis functionality is retroactive, applying to both new and existing goo.gl short links.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eBy integrating the URL Shortener API, app share flows can generate cross-platform links that deep link directly to your native app.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Maps exemplifies this functionality, where shared links automatically open in the app if installed or on the website otherwise.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eSetup involves enabling App Indexing for Android and iOS, and optionally integrating the URL Shortener API for programmatic link generation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Goo.gl short links now direct users to content in Android or iOS apps if installed, otherwise to the website, retroactively applying to existing links. This is enabled by setting up App Indexing for Android and iOS. Integrating the URL Shortener API allows apps to generate shareable links that deep-link to the app. The example given is Google Maps, where a single goo.gl link directs to the app or website based on the user's platform and installed apps.\n"],null,["# App deep linking with goo.gl\n\n| It's been a while since we published this blog post. Some of the information may be outdated (for example, some images may be missing, and some links may not work anymore).\n\nWednesday, May 27, 2015\n\n\nStarting now, goo.gl short links function as a single link you can use to all your\ncontent---whether that content is in your Android app, iOS app, or website. Once you've taken\nthe necessary steps to set up\n[App Indexing for Android and iOS](https://firebase.google.com/docs/app-indexing/),\ngoo.gl URLs will send users straight to the right page in your app if they have it installed, and\neveryone else to your website. This will provide additional opportunities for your app users to\nre-engage with your app.\n\n\nThis feature works for both new short URLs and retroactively, so any existing goo.gl short links\nto your content will now also direct users to your app.\n\nShare links that 'do the right thing'\n-------------------------------------\n\n\nYou can also make full use of this feature by integrating the\n[URL Shortener API](/url-shortener)\ninto your app's share flow, so users can share links that automatically redirect to your native\napp cross-platform. This will also allow others to embed links in their websites and apps which\ndeep link directly to your app.\n\n\nTake Google Maps as an example. With the new cross-platform goo.gl links, the Maps share button\ngenerates one link that provides the best possible sharing experience for everyone. When opened,\nthe link auto-detects the user's platform and if they have Maps installed. If the user has the app\ninstalled, the short link opens the content directly in the Android or iOS Maps app. If the user\ndoesn't have the app installed or is on desktop, the short link opens the page on the Maps\nwebsite.\n\n\nTry it out for yourself! Don't forget to use a phone with the Google Maps app installed:\n[https://goo.gl/maps/xlWFj](https://www.google.com/maps?q=Google+Bldg+41,+1600+Amphitheatre+Pkwy,+Mountain+View,+CA+94043&ftid=0x808fba02f3d60bc5:0x6bc3b76cb42de9de).\n\nHow to set it up\n----------------\n\nTo set up app deep linking on goo.gl:\n\n1. Complete the necessary steps to participate in App Indexing for Android and iOS on the [App Indexing site](https://firebase.google.com/docs/app-indexing/). Note that goo.gl deep links are open to all iOS developers, unlike deep links from Search currently. After this step, existing goo.gl short links will start deep linking to your app.\n2. Optionally integrate the [URL Shortener API](/url-shortener) with your app's share flow, your email campaigns, etc. to programmatically generate links that will deep link directly back to your app.\n\nWe hope you enjoy this new functionality and happy cross-platform sharing!\n\nPosted by Fabian Schlup, Software Engineer"]]
