Facebook’s AppLinks Lets You Hop App to App, Bypassing Mobile Websites
Clicking links within mobile apps can be a messy situation, as you might go from a streamlined social app to a sloppy webpage not optimized for small devices. Facebook’s AppLinks tool aims to change that, as developers can seamlessly send you from one app to another via a simple HTML code.
Announced Wednesday at Facebook’s F8 Developer Conference, AppLinks is a free, open-source code that allows for easy app-to-app linking. For example, if you’re in Facebook’s mobile app and click an ad for Hulu, you can be taken directly to Hulu’s mobile app and not a webpage. AppLinks also supports mobile-optimized webpages that you can build with services like Parse.
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Aside from Facebook itself, AppLinks’ list of supporters includes app favorites like Dropbox, Spotify, Pinterest, and Hulu. AppLinks is designed to support all major mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. The AppLinks platform is available now and is already being used; Spotify is working with Songkick to let you buy concert tickets from the artists you’re listening to.
With lots of major companies on board, AppLinks could change the way we browse on mobile. With the ability to quickly jump between dedicated apps for email, shopping, games, and entertainment, there could very well be a day when the standard mobile Web becomes virtually obsolete.
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