From Expo Router to Detour: Deferred deep linking the right way
Blog post from Expo
Detour is a tool developed by Software Mansion to address the challenges of deferred deep linking in mobile apps built with Expo, focusing on preserving user intent from the moment a link is clicked to the app's first launch. While traditional deep links work well for installed apps, they fail when users install the app after clicking a link, leading to an "Installation Gap" where the original link context is lost. Detour integrates directly with the Expo Router to resolve links before the first screen renders, ensuring the navigation logic is seamless and synchronized from the start. This approach avoids common issues like duplicate navigation events and race conditions with authentication gates. On Android, Detour uses deterministic matching through the Install Referrer API, while on iOS, it employs probabilistic matching due to privacy limitations. By aligning deep linking with the router, Detour enhances the user experience by preventing glitches and ensuring a smooth transition from web to app. As the platform evolves, Detour aims to cover more aspects of the user journey while remaining developer-friendly and cost-effective, inviting feedback from the Expo community for further development.
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