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How do I connect my Bitly custom domain to my mobile apps?

Alexander Hancock

This feature is available with some paid plans

When you have your own iOS or Android app, mobile deep links ensure that anyone opening your links on a mobile device will be taken directly to the app instead of a mobile website.

After you've added your mobile apps to your account, connect the apps to your custom domain. This creates the site association files for your apps, which are necessary for creating mobile deep links.

Make sure you've set up the mobile app in Bitly with Apple App IDs and/or Android SHA-256 Keys. This is required before you can proceed.

To configure your custom domain for mobile deep linking:

  1. Log in to your Bitly account.
  2. Click Settings in the left sidebar.
    Bitly-settings-global.png
  3. Below your account name, click Custom Domains.
    Bitly
  4. Click Manage on the Custom Domain to be used for deep linking.

    If you have multiple custom domains and want to configure more than one for deep linking, repeat these next steps for each one.

    Bitly custom domain manage global.png
  5. Scroll down to Mobile link behavior and click Select iOS Apps or Select Android Apps.
    Bitly_mobile_link_behavior.png
  6. Choose the apps to be configured for your domain.
    Bitly_mobile_link_behavior_choose_app_-_iOS.png Bitly_mobile_link_behavior_choose_app_-_Android.png

    Note: Only apps with Apple App IDs or Android SHA-256 Keys will appear in this list.

  7. Configure the mobile link behavior settings for the custom domain:
    • App Priority: If you have multiple apps configured, this is the order the mobile device follows when trying to open apps. If an app with a higher priority isn't installed, it will try the next app in the order listed. To change the order, drag and drop the apps.
    • Install Preference: If someone doesn't have your app (or apps) installed, the link can take them to a few different places instead. This can be unique for iOS and Android.
      • Content in mobile web: They'll be taken to the correct page in their mobile browser.
      • App store (Google Play Store or Apple App Store): They'll be taken to the Install URL to download the app. If you have multiple apps configured, they'll be taken to the listing for the first app in the list.
      • Interstitial: They'll be taken to an interstitial on mobile web where they can choose to go to the Install URL to download the app or be taken to the content in mobile web.
    Bitly_mobile_link_behavior_-_config_settings.png

That's it! To verify the apps are configured properly on the custom domain, check the site association files at:

  • iOS: https://[INSERT_YOUR_CUSTOM_DOMAIN]/apple-app-site-association
  • Android: https://[INSERT_YOUR_CUSTOM_DOMAIN]/.well-known/assetlinks.json

It can take up to 10 mins to see updates to the site association file due to caching.