Image credit —InnovationM blog
Don’t let anybody tell you that mobile DApp UX is broken — it is impossible to break something that wasn’t solid in the first place. Even Humpty Dumpty had to grow up to be an egg-boy before his tragic cracking.
No, mobile DApp UX isn’t broken. But it is a hot mess and Trust Wallet is here to clean it up.
The (hot) mess
Decentralization learning curves aside, it all boils down to web3 compatibility. Since default mobile browsers like Chrome and Safari can’t support web3, to access a link from a DApp (like from twitter or medium) users need to copy and paste it in a web3 compatible browser. Combined with the fact that it might require a user to install a new piece of software on their device, it adds even more friction to the user acquisition. That makes the adoption fall faster than a giant egg-boy on a rickety wall.
Deep links to the rescue
Deep linking can combine multiple steps that need to be performed by a user into a single click. Instead of opening a url in a mobile browser, a deep link can connect a user directly to a native app. Now, with Trust Wallet, developers can set up deep links that take users directly to their DApp in the Trust Browser!
Here’s what what looks like when the user already has Trust Wallet installed:
Deep Link DApp into Trust Wallet
Working with deep links and Trust Wallet
Trust Wallet uses Branch Metrics to support deep linking. By handling transitions and tracking current state, Branch can bring users directly to a DApp url in the Trust Browser. If a user doesn’t have Trust Wallet installed, Branch can take him/her to the App Store/Google Play to download it. What makes deep linking unique is the fact that Branch is able to complete the process and bring the user back to the original destination url in Trust Browser even after a user seemingly gets lost in the flow while setting up the application!
There are two ways for developers to make it easy for mobile users to open their DApps in Trust Wallet with deep links:
1. Generate a deep link in the Trust Browser
In Trust Wallet browser, go to your DApp’s url. Then press the three dots in the top right corner and click Share in the menu that pops up.
Generating a deep link via Share
2. One liner to deep link into google.com:
3. Generate a Trust Wallet deep link programmatically
There are several additional functions that are available on the programmatic level with deep linking within Trust Wallet. Not only can you create a deep link to open a DApp url in a user’s browser, you can also create a deep link to add a new custom token in a user’s wallet!
Supported methods:
- openURL — Open a DApp url in the Trust Wallet browser
- newToken — Add a new custom token to a user’s wallet
Full list of commands and examples: https://github.com/TrustWallet/docs/blob/master/deeplinks.md
- Through a showShareSheet or getShortUrl methods:
Android SDK- Deep Linking API
Branch Key: key_live_lfvIpVeI9TFWxPCqwU8rZnogFqhnzs4D
Showcase
Deep Linking Tech Details:
Trust Developers
Download Trust Wallet and try it our for yourself!