Deep Links

Deep links allow users to open your app directly from a URL, enabling features like email verification links, social sharing, and custom integrations.

Deep links use URL schemes (like myapp://) to open your app and optionally navigate to specific content within it.

Overview

When you configure deep link schemes in your build.yaml, a0 automatically:

Registers the URL schemes with iOS (Info.plist)
Adds intent filters to Android (AndroidManifest.xml)
Configures Expo to recognize the schemes at runtime

Your app’s bundle ID is automatically added as a scheme, so you always have at least one working deep link scheme without any configuration.

Configuration

Add the schemes property to your .a0/build.yaml file:

general:
  runtimeVersion: "exposdk:54.0.0"

schemes:
  - myapp
  - myapp-dev

ios:
  versionName: "1.0.0"

android:
  versionName: "1.0.0"

Schemes must be lowercase and start with a letter. They can only contain letters, digits, plus signs (+), hyphens (-), and dots (.).

Handling Deep Links

Use the expo-linking library to handle incoming deep links in your app.

Basic Setup

import * as Linking from 'expo-linking';
import { useEffect } from 'react';

export default function App() {
  useEffect(() => {
    // Handle deep link when app is already open
    const subscription = Linking.addEventListener('url', ({ url }) => {
      handleDeepLink(url);
    });

    // Handle deep link that opened the app
    Linking.getInitialURL().then((url) => {
      if (url) {
        handleDeepLink(url);
      }
    });

    return () => subscription.remove();
  }, []);

  const handleDeepLink = (url: string) => {
    const parsed = Linking.parse(url);
    console.log('Deep link received:', parsed);
    // Navigate based on parsed.path and parsed.queryParams
  };

  return (
    // Your app content
  );
}

Creating Deep Link URLs

Generate URLs that open your app:

import * as Linking from 'expo-linking';

// Create a URL with your custom scheme
const url = Linking.createURL('profile/123', {
  scheme: 'myapp',
  queryParams: { ref: 'email' }
});
// Result: myapp://profile/123?ref=email

If you’re using React Navigation, configure deep linking in your navigation container:

import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';

const linking = {
  prefixes: ['myapp://', 'myapp-dev://'],
  config: {
    screens: {
      Home: '',
      Profile: 'profile/:id',
      Settings: 'settings',
    },
  },
};

export default function App() {
  return (
    <NavigationContainer linking={linking}>
      {/* Your navigators */}
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
}

Testing Deep Links

iOS Simulator
Android Emulator
Physical Device

Use the xcrun command to test deep links on iOS:

xcrun simctl openurl booted "myapp://profile/123"

Use adb to test deep links on Android:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "myapp://profile/123"

Common Use Cases

Email verification

Send users a verification link that opens your app and marks their email as verified:

// In your email: myapp://verify?token=abc123

const handleDeepLink = (url: string) => {
  const { path, queryParams } = Linking.parse(url);
  if (path === 'verify' && queryParams?.token) {
    verifyEmail(queryParams.token);
  }
};

Password reset

Allow users to reset their password from an email link:

// In your email: myapp://reset-password?token=xyz789

const handleDeepLink = (url: string) => {
  const { path, queryParams } = Linking.parse(url);
  if (path === 'reset-password' && queryParams?.token) {
    navigation.navigate('ResetPassword', { token: queryParams.token });
  }
};

Let users share specific content that opens directly in your app:

// Shared link: myapp://post/456

const handleDeepLink = (url: string) => {
  const { path } = Linking.parse(url);
  const match = path?.match(/^post\/(\d+)$/);
  if (match) {
    navigation.navigate('Post', { id: match[1] });
  }
};

Referral links

Track referrals by including a code in the deep link:

// Referral link: myapp://signup?ref=friend123

const handleDeepLink = (url: string) => {
  const { queryParams } = Linking.parse(url);
  if (queryParams?.ref) {
    // Store referral code for attribution
    storeReferralCode(queryParams.ref);
  }
};

Automatic Bundle ID Scheme

Your app’s bundle ID (e.g., dev.a0.apps.myapp) is automatically registered as a URL scheme. This ensures you always have a unique, collision-free scheme available even without explicit configuration.

While the bundle ID scheme works, custom schemes like myapp:// are shorter and more user-friendly for sharing.

Getting Started

Agent Guide

Development

Publishing

Advanced

Deep Links

Deep Links

Overview

Configuration

Handling Deep Links

Basic Setup

Creating Deep Link URLs

With React Navigation

Testing Deep Links

Common Use Cases

Automatic Bundle ID Scheme

​Deep Links

​Overview

​Configuration

​Handling Deep Links

​Basic Setup

​Creating Deep Link URLs

​With React Navigation

​Testing Deep Links

​Common Use Cases

​Automatic Bundle ID Scheme

Deep Links

Overview

Configuration

Handling Deep Links

Basic Setup

Creating Deep Link URLs

With React Navigation

Testing Deep Links

Common Use Cases

Automatic Bundle ID Scheme