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Get the Custom URL Scheme and Package Name of an App

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As a Campus Cloud administrator, you may need two pieces of technical information about an app: 

  1. The iOS app link information, as an app scheme or universal URL
  2. The Android Package Name.

You need this information for tasks like creating a campus guide tile to open a 3rd-party app.

What is (1) iOS app link information? Simply put, it's the name by which an iPhone recognizes an app it has installed. Humans use names (like "Zoom," "Outlook," or "MyLaundry") to refer to apps. An iPhone uses app link information, in the form of an app scheme or universal URL.

What is (2) the Android Package Name? The Android package name is the same as iOS app link information, for the Android operating system. 

Keep a note of the two pieces of information we find in this tutorial, either by copying them and pasting them into a document, or by saving them to a disk.

Get the Custom URL Scheme of an iOS app

Before you start, two caveats:

  • Some app developers choose to publish their universal URLs and some do not.
  • Not every app has a universal URL. (I.e., It may not be possible to create a 3rd-party app tile in Campus Cloud Studio to launch your app.) 

With that said, if a universal URL is available, you can get it by carefully following the steps below: 

  1. We have a short list of Universal URLs and package names, at the bottom of this FAQ. Check this list. If you find your app, copy down the scheme and package name, and you are good to go.
  2. If your app is not in the list, use Google to try and find the universal URL. Search for the name of your app and some of the following keywords:
    • "iOS Universal URL or App Scheme"
    • "Custom URL scheme"
    • "schema"
  3. You can try contacting the app developer directly, or searching their online documentation. You might also want to ask communities of people who use that app.
  •  

Verify the Custom URL Scheme

Before you can use a Custom URL scheme, you need to verify it. You need to make sure you got the right link and copied it without any issues. 

Here is how you can verify a Custom URL Scheme: 

  • Copy and paste the Custom URL scheme into an email, and send it to your phone.
  • Receive the email on your phone and view it. 
  • You should see a link you can tap. Tap the link. 

The phone should offer to open the link in the 3rd-party app. If this happens, you've got the correct Custom URL Scheme and can advance to the next step. 

Get the Package Name of an Android App

It is straightforward to get the package name of an Android app:

  • Go to the Play store, find the app and view its page.
  • Copy the URL from the browser address bar. Make a note of this as the "Android Fallback URL."
  • You'll see a parameter called "id" followed by an equal sign (=). You might see an ampersand on the other side (&). Select everything between the equal sign (=) and the ampersand (&) and copy it. 

Paste this into your notes. This is the package name of the Android app. 

Example Data

Below, please find the information required to set up App Open tiles for several popular mobile apps.

Microsoft Outlook

Canvas

 OrgSync

Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Instructor

Blackboard Student

Rave Guardian

Power School

Moodle

Live Safe

Guide EAB

Corq

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