4D for iOS: Improved UX (& more) with deep Linking

4D v18 R5 includes a new great feature: Deep linking. That’s cool, but what the heck is it?

Here’s an example:

Have you ever gotten an email from Netflix asking if you want to continue watching a movie that you stopped halfway through? You click the link, but it doesn’t take you to the Netflix home page or launch the application on your phone. Instead, clicking the link opens the player, and resumes the movie exactly where you stopped. 

That’s deep linking! It allows users to open a specific view in their app just by clicking on a URL (significantly improving the user experience and increasing user retention and engagement).

Here’s an illustration that summarizes deep linking:

Sharing content

In a nutshell, 4D for iOS allows you to share the content you’re currently looking at with whomever you want … with a single click.

Best of all? You can implement this feature in 3 easy steps :

1. Select the predefined Share action from the Action section.
2. Activate the Deep Linking feature in the Publishing section.
3. Select the mode you want to use: URL Schemes or Universal links.

And that’s it! You’re ready to share!

The project editor provides two ways to implement Deep linking into your app: URL Scheme and Universal Links. If you’re interested in knowing more about these concepts, check out the documentation.

Push Notifications

A great thing when using this new feature is that you can also send push notifications to your users and allow them to open the correct view in their app just by clicking on the push notification!

What’s next?

In today’s apps, deep linking is a crucial feature as users consume content faster and faster. This feature allows you to bring them directly to the desired place in a single click which ensures a seamless user experience and reduces drop-offs.

If you want to know more about this feature, the documentation will guide you step by step.

And feel free to give your feedback, ask questions, or share your experience via the 4D forum.