LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking platforms, with over 722 million users worldwide as of April 2021. Many LinkedIn users access the platform primarily through the LinkedIn mobile app on their smartphones. However, one common complaint from mobile users is that when they receive LinkedIn notification emails on their phone, the links in the emails do not open directly in the LinkedIn mobile app, instead opening in a mobile web browser. There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn has designed their email links this way.
Email Clients Do Not Support Deep Linking
One major reason is that many email clients and providers do not support deep linking, which allows links to open directly into the app rather than a web browser. When you tap a link in an email, the default behavior is for that link to open in your default web browser. For the link to open directly in the relevant app, the email provider needs to integrate with the app’s deep linking functionality, and many have not done so with the LinkedIn app specifically.
For example, the default Mail app on iOS does not currently support deep linking into the LinkedIn app. So even though a user may have the LinkedIn app installed on their iPhone, email links will open in Safari rather than the app. Popular email services like Gmail and Outlook do not deep link directly into the LinkedIn app either on most mobile platforms.
Linking to Mobile Web Provides Wider Device Support
Another reason LinkedIn may opt to link to the mobile web experience is that it provides much wider device support. There are thousands of different Android devices and models out there, and hundreds of different email apps that users could be using. Linking directly to the LinkedIn native app would only work smoothly if the user has the app installed already.
But by linking to the mobile web instead, LinkedIn can provide a seamless experience across any device, OS version, and email app. The mobile web works the same on all devices, so they can ensure all users can access the content through the browser, rather than risk links failing to open for some users.
Drives App Installs and Engagement
LinkedIn may also see an advantage in driving users to the mobile web experience instead of directly into the app. One of LinkedIn’s key goals is to grow its user base and have people access their platform frequently to view content.
By linking to the mobile web, users who don’t have the app installed will have a chance to view the LinkedIn mobile experience and be prompted to download the app. If links opened directly in the app, users without the app wouldn’t have this exposure to LinkedIn’s mobile platform.
Additionally, even for users who do have the app installed, directing them to the mobile web means they have to take an extra step to get back into the native app interface. This small amount of extra friction increases the chances that the user will take time to browse LinkedIn web content instead of just quickly jumping into the app.
Technical Limitations of Deep Linking
There are also some technical challenges that make deep linking into the app more complex. To link directly into a specific part of the native app experience, the link needs to pass instructions and context to the app when opened. For example, a link to a LinkedIn profile page would need to open that user’s profile directly in the app. This requires more complex URLs and integration work.
Additionally, apps go through frequent updates. If LinkedIn updated their app with changes to navigation or URLs, any deep links into the app could break until updated to match the new schema. Linking to their mobile web pages is more stable and reliable.
Drawbacks of Not Deep Linking
Despite the potential benefits to LinkedIn, not supporting deep links in their emails does come with trade-offs:
- Poorer user experience – Users often want a seamless flow within apps and find being directed out to a browser disruptive.
- Loss of app-specific features – The mobile web misses out on some of the great features of the full native app like push notifications and offline access.
- Potential for lower engagement – Being forced into a browser could mean some users don’t bother finishing viewing the content.
- No opportunity for app-install prompts – Android users who don’t have the app installed won’t be prompted to download it if always sent to web.
Workarounds for Users
As a user, if you prefer having LinkedIn emails open directly in the LinkedIn app on your phone, there are a few possible workarounds:
- Copy link address and manually open in app – Tedious but ensures you stay in-app.
- Use a different email app – Some providers like Gmail may integrate deep linking in the future.
- Create home screen shortcut to LinkedIn – Could open web links in app instead of browser.
- Configure browser to open LinkedIn links in app – Browsers like Chrome allow link redirect settings.
However, most users will likely just resort to tapping the web link and re-opening the app afterwards if needed.
The Future of Deep Linking
While mobile deep linking from emails is still inconsistently supported today, the landscape is gradually improving. As more developers recognize the value of directing users into the app, and more email providers add support, deep linking will become the standard.
Apple has introduced new APIs to simplify universal links for iOS apps. Android App Links offer similar deep linking functionality across Android devices. And email clients like Gmail are expanding their deep link integrations.
For now, LinkedIn may be waiting until more of their mobile email users are able to take advantage of deep linked app experiences before investing heavily in implementation. But in the future, expect LinkedIn notification emails on your phone to open directly into the slick native app interface their developers have worked hard to optimize.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s lack of deep linking from emails to their mobile app is likely driven by some technical limitations of email clients, a desire to drive engagement through the mobile web, and ensuring reliability across the wide range of Android devices. But this approach provides a more fragmented experience, and as more apps utilize deep linking, users increasingly expect this seamless functionality.
For now, LinkedIn users on mobile will have to continue tapping web links and manually navigating back to the app. But pressure is mounting on LinkedIn and other platforms to prioritize deep links as mobile engagement becomes more and more important. The rise of deep linking APIs on iOS and Android points to a future where simply tapping a link sends you directly into a perfectly tailored app experience.
