Deep, Universal, App Links and NFC

#Overview

NativePHP for Mobile supports both deep linking and web-based linking into your mobile apps.

There are two types of link integrations you can configure:

• Deep Links (myapp://some/path)
• Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) (https://example.net/some/path)

Each method has its use case, and NativePHP allows you to configure and handle both easily.

#Deep Links

Deep links use a custom URL scheme to open your app.

For example:

myapp://profile/123

When a user taps a deep link, the mobile operating system detects the custom scheme and opens your app directly.

#Configuration

To enable deep linking, you must define:

• Scheme: The protocol (e.g., myapp)
• Host: An optional domain-like segment (e.g., open)

These are configured in your .env:

NATIVEPHP_DEEPLINK_SCHEME=myapp
NATIVEPHP_DEEPLINK_HOST=open

#Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android)

Universal Links and App Links allow real HTTPS URLs to open your app instead of a web browser, if the app is installed.

For example:

https://example.net/property/456

When a user taps this link:

• If your app is installed, it opens directly into the app.
• If not, it opens normally in the browser.

This provides a seamless user experience without needing a custom scheme.

#How It Works

1. You must prove to iOS and Android that you own the domain by hosting a special file:

• .well-known/apple-app-site-association (for iOS)
• .well-known/assetlinks.json (for Android)

2. The mobile OS reads these files to verify the link association.
3. Once verified, tapping a real URL will open your app instead of Safari or Chrome.

NativePHP for Mobile handles all of this for you.

#Configuration

To enable Universal Links and App Links, you must define:

• Host: The domain name (e.g., example.net)

These are configured in your .env:

NATIVEPHP_DEEPLINK_HOST=example.net

#Handling Universal/App Links

Once you've configured your deep link settings, you can handle the link in your app.

Simply set up a route in your web.php file and the deeplink will redirect to your route.

https://example.net/profile/123

Route::get('/profile/{id}', function ($id) {
    // Handle the deep link
});

#NFC

NFC is a technology that allows you to read and write NFC tags.

NativePHP handles NFC tag "bumping" just like a Universal/App Link. You can use a tool like NFC Tools to test write NFC tags.

Set the url to a Universal/App Link and the tag will be written to the NFC tag. "Bumping" the tag will open the app.