Android setup tutorial

Recreate the Kotlin example app that ships with the SDK, then tailor it to your product.

Before you start

• LinkMe workspace + app
• Android package name and SHA-256 fingerprint (debug + release if possible)
• Access to update Gradle files and the manifest

1. Configure your LinkMe app

1. Portal → Apps → Create app (or open an existing entry).
2. Enter the Android package ID and paste the SHA-256 certificate fingerprint.
3. Generate an API key in App Settings → API Keys and copy both appId and appKey.
4. Confirm Install Referrer stay enabled—Android uses it for deferred attribution automatically.

2. Install the SDK and dependencies

// settings.gradle
dependencyResolutionManagement {
  repositories {
    google()
    mavenCentral()
    maven { url = uri("https://jitpack.io") }
  }
}

// app/build.gradle
dependencies {
  implementation("com.github.r-dev-limited:li-nk.me-android-sdk:0.2.8")
}

JitPack publishes every tag automatically—check jitpack.io/#r-dev-limited/li-nk.me-android-sdk if you need build details.

linkmekit already bundles the Install Referrer and Ad ID libraries, so no extra dependencies are needed unless you want to collect Ad ID (requires user consent + com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID).

3. Declare hosts in the manifest

<activity android:name=".MainActivity" android:exported="true">
  <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
    <data android:scheme="https" android:host="links.yourco.com" />
  </intent-filter>
  <!-- Optional custom scheme -->
  <intent-filter>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
    <data android:scheme="yourapp" />
  </intent-filter>
</activity>

LinkMe hosts assetlinks.json automatically for the domains configured in App Settings.

Manual deep-link config mapping

Use these values for your Android deep-link setup:

{
  "hosts": ["links.yourco.com"],
  "associatedDomains": ["links.yourco.com"],
  "schemes": ["yourapp"]
}

What each field does and why it must be set:

• hosts: your HTTPS deep-link domain(s). Map each host to an App Links intent filter (android:autoVerify="true").
• associatedDomains: keep this aligned with hosts for cross-platform consistency; on Android this is the same host list you verify via Digital Asset Links.
• schemes: fallback custom URL scheme(s) for explicit scheme opens.

Why this is required:

• Without hosts, Android has no verified App Links target and HTTPS links will open in browser/disambiguation flows.
• Without schemes, yourapp://... links cannot route into your app.
• If host/scheme values do not match your manifest, deep-link routing will be unreliable.

Apply these values in the manifest:

• hosts / associatedDomains → HTTPS App Links intent filter:

<data android:scheme="https" android:host="links.yourco.com" />

• schemes → custom scheme intent filter:

<data android:scheme="yourapp" />

4. Initialize and handle intents

class App : Application() {
  override fun onCreate() {
    super.onCreate()

    LinkMe.shared.configure(
      context = this,
      config = LinkMe.Config(
        baseUrl = "https://links.yourco.com",
        appId = BuildConfig.LINKME_APP_ID,
        appKey = BuildConfig.LINKME_APP_KEY,
        sendDeviceInfo = true,
        includeAdvertisingId = false,
        debug = BuildConfig.DEBUG,
      ),
    )

    LinkMe.shared.getInitialLink { payload ->
      payload?.let(::routeUser)
    }

    LinkMe.shared.claimDeferredIfAvailable(this) { deferred ->
      deferred?.let(::routeUser)
    }
  }
}

class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
  override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    LinkMe.shared.handleIntent(intent)

    LinkMe.shared.addListener { payload ->
      routeUser(payload)
    }
  }

  override fun onNewIntent(intent: Intent?) {
    super.onNewIntent(intent)
    LinkMe.shared.onNewIntent(intent)
  }
}

This mirrors the code path inside sdks/android/example-app and ensures direct, background, and deferred flows all resolve to the same routeUser helper.

5. Test with the example app

1. Copy sdks/android/example-app outside the monorepo or open it directly in Android Studio.
2. Set LINKME_APP_ID/LINKME_APP_KEY in local.properties (or Gradle properties).
3. Run the app and click a LinkMe slug to confirm direct opens. For deferred tests, install from the Play Store simulator by opening the link, uninstalling, then reinstalling via the Play Store intent.

Troubleshooting

• adb shell pm get-app-links --user cur com.example.app shows whether Android trusts your domain.
• Run adb shell pm verify-app-links --re-verify com.example.app after changing fingerprints or domains.
• If links still fall back to the browser, allow them manually: adb shell pm set-app-links --package com.example.app --allow all (helpful on test devices).

Next, move to the Android SDK reference for detailed API and payload documentation.

Common Issues

Links open Play Store:

• Verify intent-filter includes android:autoVerify="true"
• Ensure app was rebuilt and reinstalled after manifest changes
• Check domain verification status
• Verify assetlinks.json is accessible and correctly formatted

Verification timing:

• Automatic verification occurs on install (within a few seconds)
• If verification fails, status is cached until manually re-verified or app reinstalled
• Existing users who installed before verification may need to enable manually