iOS Universal Link- Opening the App right away from the email

Universal Links allow iOS apps to be associated with specific URLs so that when users click on those links, the app will be opened directly instead of loading the link in Safari. This provides a seamless user experience and allows users to navigate directly from emails or websites to the app.

To implement Universal Links in your iOS app, follow these steps:

1. Set up the Associated Domains Capability: Open your Xcode project and go to the project settings. Select your target and go to the "Signing & Capabilities" tab. Add the "Associated Domains" capability by clicking the '+' button. Enter your domain with the applinks: prefix in the format applinks:example.com.

2. Add the Apple App Site Association (AASA) File: Create a JSON file named apple-app-site-association and upload it to your web server's root directory. The AASA file should contain the necessary JSON data to specify the app's association with your domain. Here's an example:

   jsonCopy code
   {
     "applinks": {
       "apps": [],
       "details": [
         {
           "appID": "TeamID.BundleIdentifier",
           "paths": ["*"]
         }
       ]
     }
   }
   

   Replace TeamID.BundleIdentifier with your app's Team ID and Bundle Identifier.

3. Set Up Domain Validation: Ensure that your domain is properly validated. Apple requires domain validation to ensure the domain ownership.

4. Configure the Web Server: Configure your web server to serve the AASA file with the correct MIME type. For example, for Apache, you can add the following to your .htaccess file:

   bashCopy code
   AddType application/json .json
   

5. Test the Universal Link: Send yourself an email with a link to your Universal Link (e.g., https://example.com). Open the email on your iOS device and click the link. If everything is set up correctly, your app should open directly, bypassing Safari.

Keep in mind that implementing Universal Links requires proper domain ownership and configuration. Additionally, you need to handle the Universal Link in your app by implementing the appropriate delegate methods to process the link data.

Remember that Universal Links only work on iOS devices with iOS 9 or later and require a properly signed and published app. If the app is not installed on the device, the Universal Link will fall back to opening the link in Safari.

For more details and in-depth information on Universal Links, you can refer to the official Apple documentation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/inter-process_communication/allowing_apps_and_websites_to_link_to_your_content