This feature is available with some paid plans
Mobile deep links are a way to seamlessly route mobile users to the best place to view your content, whether it's on your website or your mobile app.
With mobile deep linking, when someone opens one of your links on their mobile device, they go directly to the content within your app. If they don't have your app installed, the link can take them to the app store to download it. And once they install your app, the correct content opens automatically!
To learn how to create mobile deep links in Bitly, visit our guide to using mobile deep links in Bitly.
Types of mobile deep links
Universal Links and Android App Links
The most common mobile deep links are Universal Links and Android App Links, for iOS and Android, respectively. This set-and-forget feature ensures you're providing the best mobile experience for all your links.
Universal Links are supported on all iOS versions. Android App Links work on Android 6.0 and higher. Lower than that, the link opens in a mobile web browser instead.
Domain-level overrides
If you have an app for each operating system, you can set them both up in your Bitly account, and the same link will work for both. It's also possible to create a domain-level override, changing your app settings for an individual link.
Custom Scheme deep links
There's an older type of mobile deep links called Custom Scheme deep links. These allow you to create mobile deep links on a link-by-link basis. Apple deprecated this method on iOS 9 and above, so it creates a worse experience for anyone opening these links on an iPhone or iPad.
Bitly's mobile deep linking
When you create mobile deep links with Bitly, mobile users who click on your links can be taken to the same content, just in your app.
Bitly's mobile deep linking feature includes even more analytics beyond the engagement data you get for all of your Bitly links. This empowers you to track the number of times your app is installed, the number of times it's opened, and more.
Get started
Ready to start linking to your mobile apps? Visit our guide to using mobile deep links in Bitly to learn how.