How to implement deep linking for iOS app on .Net MAUI?

[DavidShochet]

Discussed in #14093

^{Originally posted by DavidShochet March 21, 2023}
I am having a difficulty implementing deep linking on our app.
Clicking on a link in an email should open the app. As I understand, the execution should come to AppDelegate's OpenUrl() method. The link is for an existing website (https://teams.microsoft.com/meetingOptions/...) that I don't control.

I was able to easily implement this for Android. Upon clicking on the link, I am asked whether I want to open my app or the MS Teams app, and when I select my app, it just opens. But with iOS I am stuck. I cannot find a clear manual on how this can be done.

So far, I found that I need to have this in Info.plist:

But this is definitely not enough.

I would appreciate your help.

[moljac]

for starters

1. Teams custom URL scheme is msteams (msteams://<organization>/<teamName>)
   From this link seems like replacing https with mstems should work out of the box
   https://www.eliostruyf.com/devhack-deep-linking-microsoft-teams-android-ios/
   https://rderik.com/blog/creating-app-custom-url-scheme/

2. for https[s] based schemas I think teams has several options

   1. app https://teams.microsoft.com/l/app/<your-app-id>
      https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/concepts/build-and-test/deep-link-application?tabs=teamsjs-v2
   2. chat https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=<user1>,<user2>,...&topicName=<chat name>&message=<precanned text>
      https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/concepts/build-and-test/deep-link-teams
   3. workflow (task)
      https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/concepts/build-and-test/deep-link-workflow?tabs=teamsjs-v2

Apple calls deep links - universal links

https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/AppSearch/UniversalLinks.html?utm_source=revxblog

Few more links (Xamarin, should be similar for MAUI):

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/789113/xamarin-ios-app-responses-on-any-url-using-deep-li

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/802339/xamarin-ios-custom-url-scheme-deep-links-work-but

Based on your info I think you should go with universal links for iOS, but before you start try replacing https with msteams in the url. It MIGHT work.

[DavidShochet]

Hi @moljac,

Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately, the links you provided don't address the issue. I am not trying to open or manipulate the Teams app, rather, I need to open my app by clicking on that teams meeting link. And I cannot change the url to a Teams meeting generated by Azure Booking service.
This link https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/AppSearch/UniversalLinks.html?utm_source=revxblog speaks of opening my app by clicking on a link, but it is a link to "my website". I need to handle not a link to my website, but a link to a teams meeting, generated automatically and not controlled by me.

As I mentioned, I was able to implement it on Android. Android did not require me to create some association file in my website. Is it possible on iOS at all?

This link https://rderik.com/blog/creating-app-custom-url-scheme/ seems to suggest what I did already (see screenshot in my question). But as it did not work for me, it may be either not enough, or I did it incorrectly. Could you please advise?

Thank you!

[prabhavmehra]

@DavidShochet this is how you implement url scheme and not deep linking. They are 2 different things.

[ToolmakerSteve]

If you don’t control the website that is referenced in a URL, then you can’t do deep linking into your app.

Sounds like what worked on Android is that the OS recognized your app as supporting video calling.

I don’t know what the equivalent is on iOS. Regardless, the solution won’t be Maui-specific (other than needing to use c# instead of an Apple language). Try asking on StackOverflow.