title: Android app https deeplink and Chrome browser
body: <p>I have implemented https deeplinking in my Android app following the <a href="https://developers.google.com/app-indexing/android/app" rel="nofollow">Google guidelines</a>.</p>
  
  <p>It is working almost fine, when user opens Chrome browser, searches something related to <em>mycompany</em> and clicks on a link, the OS will prompt to select between my app or the browser. Also, if someone sends the link by mail or a messenger app, if the user clicks on it, the OS will also prompt to select between app/browser.</p>
  
  <p>However, I see the following problems:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>If the user opens Chrome and types in the address bar: <em>www.mycompany.com</em>, OS will not prompt to select between app/browser, it will just open it in the browser.</p></li>
  <li><p>Once the user is in the browser navigating the home webpage of www.mycompany.com when it clicks a link that the app handles (eg. <a href="https://www.mycompany.com/product/1234" rel="nofollow">https://www.mycompany.com/product/1234</a>) OS <strong>WILL NOT</strong> prompt to select between the app and the browser.</p></li>
  <li><p>The worst problem is: if the user clicks a link that the app does not handle (eg. <a href="https://www.mycompany.com/not-handled-path" rel="nofollow">https://www.mycompany.com/not-handled-path</a>), it will open the corresponding webpage as expected, but then in this webpage if the user clicks on a link handled by the app (eg. <a href="https://www.mycompany.com/product/1234" rel="nofollow">https://www.mycompany.com/product/1234</a>) OS <strong>WILL</strong> prompt to select between app/browser.</p></li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>As you can see it seems the behavior is not consistent.
  I would say that the expected behavior is to always prompt to decide between the app/browser or always let the user navigate through the website.</p>
  
  <p>Please, let me know if I misunderstood anything, any advice is welcome.</p>
  
  <p>This is the intent filter that is handled by my dispatching activity:</p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;intent-filter&gt;
      &lt;action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /&gt;
      &lt;category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /&gt;
      &lt;category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /&gt;
  
      &lt;data android:scheme="https"/&gt;
      &lt;data android:host="www.mycompany.com"/&gt;
      &lt;data android:pathPattern="/" /&gt;
      &lt;data android:pathPattern="/product.*" /&gt;
      &lt;data android:pathPattern="/list.*" /&gt;
      &lt;data android:pathPattern="/stores.*" /&gt;
      &lt;data android:pathPattern="/brands.*" /&gt;
  &lt;/intent-filter&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance.</p>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p>
  
  <p>In summary this is the inconsistency:</p>
  
  <p>Writing the address www.mycompany.com enters to home webpage. This webpage has a link to <a href="https://www.mycompany.com/product/123" rel="nofollow">https://www.mycompany.com/product/123</a>, clicking it enters to product detail webpage (OS does not prompt to open in app or browser).</p>
  
  <p>Writing the address www.mycompany.com/not-handled-path enters to webpage, then this webpage has also a link to <a href="https://www.mycompany.com/product/123" rel="nofollow">https://www.mycompany.com/product/123</a>, clicking it, however, to my surprise OS DOES prompt to open in app or browser.</p>