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iOS Extended Deferred Deep Linking

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Overview

Extended deferred deep linking allows deep linking for new users in certain scenarios:

  • When UDL returns NOT_FOUND even though a relevant install occurred.
    Main example for such a scenario:
    • Time between click and install exceeds the UDL lookback window (15 minutes).
  • When UDL returns FOUND but the deep linking data is missing parameters, which are not deep_link_value and deep_link_sub1-10.
    Main examples for such scenarios:
    • Clicking a link in a Self Reporting Network (SRN), like Meta ads or Twitter.
    • Clicking a link that doesn't contain deep_link_value or deep_link_sub1-10 used for deep-linking, for example, old links created before deep_link_value existed that are still in use.
    • Time between click and install exceeds the UDL lookback window (15 minutes).

To allow deferred deep linking when UDL returns NOT_FOUND, onConversionDataSuccess callback should check whether it should handle the deferred deep linking.
onConversionDataSuccess is part of the Get Conversion Data(GCD) API. Its main purpose was is to gather conversion data inside the device.
In the use case outlined here onConversionDataSuccess takes advantage of the fact that all deferred deep linking parameters are passed to the callback, on top of the conversion data.

Prerequisites

Implementation

  1. onConversionDataSuccess should detect cases where deferred deep linking should occur that UDL didn't handle.

    See detailed code dissection

  2. onConversionDataSuccess should route the user to the deferred deep linking destination based on the deep linking parameters passed to the callback.

Code example

Code dissect

  1. Implement the Get Conversion Data API delegate AppsFlyerLibDelegate.

    Implement only onConversionDataSuccess and onConversionDataFail.
    The methods onAppOpenAttribution and onAttributionFailure are mutually exclusive with UDL, and will not be called.

  2. Detect deferred deep linking scenarios by filtering-in the conversion data payload with:
    • af_status == Non-organic
    • is_first_launch == true
  3. When deferred deep linking is detected, filter-out the cases that were already handled by UDL.
    In the example that follows, all the links contain deep_link_value.
    It is recommended for UDL to signal with a flag that deferred deep linking was already handled, and onConversionDataSuccess should skip.
  4. onConversionDataSuccess should verify the conversion data holds parameters that are used to route users inside the application. For example fruit_name in the example that follows.
  5. Route the user to the deferred deep linking destination.

Code snippet

extension AppDelegate: AppsFlyerLibDelegate {
     
    // Handle Organic/Non-organic installation
    func onConversionDataSuccess(_ data: [AnyHashable: Any]) {
        ConversionData = data
        print("onConversionDataSuccess data:")
        for (key, value) in data {
            print(key, ":", value)
        }
        if let conversionData = data as NSDictionary? as! [String:Any]? {
        
            if let status = conversionData["af_status"] as? String {
                if (status == "Non-organic") {
                    if let sourceID = conversionData["media_source"],
                        let campaign = conversionData["campaign"] {
                        NSLog("[AFSDK] This is a Non-Organic install. Media source: \(sourceID)  Campaign: \(campaign)")
                    }
                } else {
                    NSLog("[AFSDK] This is an organic install.")
                }
                
                if let is_first_launch = conversionData["is_first_launch"] as? Bool,
                    is_first_launch {
                    NSLog("[AFSDK] First Launch")
                    if !conversionData.keys.contains("deep_link_value") && conversionData.keys.contains("fruit_name"){
                        switch conversionData["fruit_name"] {
                            case let fruitNameStr as String:
                            NSLog("This is a deferred deep link opened using conversion data")
                            walkToSceneWithParams(fruitName: fruitNameStr, deepLinkData: conversionData)
                            default:
                                NSLog("Could not extract deep_link_value or fruit_name from deep link object using conversion data")
                                return
                        }
                    }
                } else {
                    NSLog("[AFSDK] Not First Launch")
                }
            }
        }
    }
    
    func onConversionDataFail(_ error: Error) {
        NSLog("[AFSDK] \(error)")
    }
}

⇲ Github links: Swift

Testing

📘

Important

The following testing scenario demonstrates the handling of deferred deep linking from links that contain custom parameters but not deep_link_value and deep_link_sub1-10 parameters.
This testing scenario is also relevant for all extended deferred deep linking described earlier.

Before you begin

The test link

You can use an existing OneLink link or ask your marketer to create a new one for testing. Both short and long OneLink URLs can be used.

Adding ad-hoc parameters to the link

  • Use only the domain and OneLink template of your link, for example: https://onelink-basic-app.onelink.me/H5hv.
  • Add OneLink custom parameters other than deep_link_value and deep_link_sub1-10, as expected by your application.
  • The parameters should be added as query parameters.
    • Example: https://onelink-basic-app.onelink.me/H5hv?my_inapp_dest=apples&my_inapp_value=23

Perform the test

  • Click the link on your device.
  • OneLink redirects you according to the link setup to wither the App Store or a website.
  • Install the application.

    Important

    • If the application is still in development and not uploaded to the store yet, the following image displays:
      drawing
    • Install the application from Xcode or any other IDE you use.
  • UDL detects the deferred deep linking, matches the install to the click, and retrieves the OneLink parameters to didResolveDeepLink callback. UDL will not find any parameters to route and exit.
  • onConversionDataSuccess callback is called with the conversion data, which holds both custom parameters and attribution data.
  • onConversionDataSuccess sets the custom parameters to route the user inside the application.

Expected logs results

📘

The following logs are available only when [debug mode is enabled].(https://dev.appsflyer.com/hc/docs/integrate-ios-sdk#enabling-debug-mode)

  • SDK initialized:

    [AppsFlyerSDK] [com.apple.main-thread] AppsFlyer SDK version 6.6.0 started build

  • UDL API starts:

    [AppsFlyerSDK] [com.appsflyer.serial] [DDL] Start DDL

  • UDL sends query to AppsFlyer service to query a match with this install: 

    [AppsFlyerSDK] [com.appsflyer.serial] [DDL] URL: https://dlsdk.appsflyer.com/v1.0/ios/id1512793879?sdk_version=6.6&af_sig=c9a1d5b34d68e584d0db2a20f4049fb7cd2e785c3383bXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  • UDL got a response and calls didResolveDeepLink callback with status=FOUND and OneLink link data:

    [AppsFlyerSDK] [com.appsflyer.serial] [DDL] Calling didResolveDeepLink with: {"af_sub4":"","click_http_referrer":"","af_sub1":"","click_event":{"af_sub4":"","click_http_referrer":"","af_sub1":"","af_sub3":"","deep_link_value":"","campaign":"","match_type":"probabilistic","af_sub5":"","campaign_id":"","media_source":"","af_sub2":""},"af_sub3":"","deep_link_value":"","campaign":"","match_type":"probabilistic","af_sub5":"","media_source":"","campaign_id":"","af_sub2":""}

  • GCD is fetching the conversion data:

[AppsFlyerSDK] [com.appsflyer.serial] [GCD-B01] GCD 4.0 URL: https://gcdsdk.appsflyer.com/install_data/v4.0/id1512793879?devkey=s*****4&device_id=1672050642148-9221195
  • onConversionDataSuccess is called with conversion data as input:
[AppsFlyerSDK] [com.appsflyer.serial] [GCD-A02] -[basic_app.AppDelegate onConversionDataSuccess:]:
    {
        ...
        is_first_launch=true, 
        ...
        fruit_amount=56,
        fruit_name=apples, 
        ...
        af_status=Non-organic,
        ...
    }

Updated 6 days ago