In the apple developer docs[1] on deep linking it says " When users install your app, iOS checks a file that you’ve uploaded to your web server to make sure that your website allows your app to open URLs on its behalf".

Is this a good thing? Seems like there might be privacy implications?

1. https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documenta...

Of course it's a good thing. You don't want some third party app developer to redirect all links to your website to their app.

I can't speak to the privacy implications but one benefit is that you can now do the

register in app -> email confirmation -> login

flow between the app and mail, rather than the app, mail, safari for the confirmation link and then back to the app

Is there a bigger privacy implication than the app itself phoning home when you open it?

Sure, but this happens when the user installs it rather than opens it.

Is there data sent on that URL access or it is more like 'GET /ios-robots.txt' (not sure what the name is)

As long it is anonymous (beyond IP and browser data, of course) it should be ok

They've been doing this with Android for a while and to be honest, it irritates me. If a Guardian article is in my results, tapping it will open the Guardian app, with a an option in much smaller text to use the web site.

That said, I and most other Hacker News users are oddities. I'd be interested to see if the average user likes this or not.

Why do you have the Guardian app if you prefer to read their articles on the web? I think Google reasonably expects that if the app exists on the device, it is the preferable option.

Because it caches articles offline in the background.

'Deep linking' is actually just URLs that open an App at a particular screen. There is not much you can do to prevent that. Android and iOS both have support for deep linking.

I think you mean more 'app indexing' as your concern. I am not an Android user so am not sure exactly what options you have for disabling things there. In iOS you can go 'General'->'Spotlight Search' and disable stuff there.

I'm an iOS user, but was concerned about the "deep linking" to be what you described as "app indexing", since I wouldn't want that to be on as default.

Thanks for describing it to me, instead the down votes, which I'm not sure what they were for since I was sincerely asking a question. Maybe my personal choice wasn't pleasing for others.