A deep link is the web address of one screen in the app. When an attendee opens it, the mobile app or the web app shows that screen instead of the home screen. Use deep links in announcements, stories, custom emails and QR codes.

Before you start

Know which app your attendees use: the Brella app or your organization's white-label app. A link opens only in the app that owns its domain (see Limits).
Link to content the attendee can see. A link to a tab the attendee doesn't have opens the Home tab. A link to a screen that exists only on the web app opens no screen on the mobile app (see Limits).

What a deep link looks like

A deep link is the URL of the web app:

https://next.brella.io/events/<event slug>/<path>

next.brella.io is the web app of the Brella app. A white-label app uses its own domain: https://<organization slug>.brella.io.
<event slug> is the event's slug, the same code as in the event's join link.
<path> names the screen, for example session/301977 or people. All paths are listed in Deep link reference.

Each app also has a URL scheme: brella:// for the Brella app, and an own scheme per white-label app. brella://events/<event slug>/<path> opens the same screen, but only when the app is installed. Use the https:// form in communications.

Get a deep link

Open the web app on the domain of the app your attendees use.
Open the screen you want to link to.
Copy the URL from the browser's address bar.
Test the final link from the email, story or other place where you will share it. Use a mobile device and an attendee account with the intended access.
Check that the right screen opens. If the attendee needs to sign in or join first, check the route in What attendees see and open the link again afterwards.

Links in Brella's own emails and push notifications use the same format.

Where to use deep links

Place	Where to enter the link	What happens in the app
Communications > Announcements	Link field	The announcement shows the URL. The push notification alert has a Visit link button that opens it.
Communications > Stories	Link Url field, with Link Text (14 characters; default Visit link)	Enter the full address with `https://`. A link on the app's own domain opens the screen inside the app. Other links open in the in-app browser. `sms:` links open the SMS app.
Communications > Custom Emails	Any hyperlink or button	Opens the app on the linked screen.
Customization > Featured Tiles	Link to > External link > URL	Opens the in-app browser, also for app URLs. To open a screen inside the app, choose that screen under Link to instead.
QR codes, printed material, other websites	Any QR code generator or hyperlink	Opens the app on the linked screen.

Communications then Announcements, the Link field in the announcement form

Communications then Stories, the Link Text and Link Url fields in the story form

What attendees see

Signed in and joined

The app opens the linked screen. On the mobile app, the back button returns to the event home screen.

Signed in, not joined

On the web app, the link opens the event's join flow. After joining, the attendee lands on the event home screen, not on the linked screen.

On the mobile app, the attendee first joins the event with the join code. After that, the links open the linked screens.

Signed out

The result depends on the link:

A link to the event (/events/<event slug>, /join/<code>, or one of these with ?chat=, ?request= or ?group_meeting=) opens the event's welcome screen with Get started. After signing in, the attendee joins the event if needed and lands on the event home screen.
A link to a screen inside the event (for example /events/<event slug>/session/301977) matches no signed-out screen. The app opens its start screen. After signing in, the attendee lands on My events.

In both cases the app does not keep the linked screen. To reach it, the attendee opens the link again after signing in.

Signed-out event welcome for Northstar Convergence M in mobile web, with introductory text and Get started.

App not installed

On a phone without the app, an https:// link opens in the browser and shows the web app on the same screen. A brella:// link can't open without the app.

White-label apps

A white-label app opens links on its own domain only (https://<organization slug>.brella.io). A next.brella.io link opens in the browser instead. The Brella app ignores white-label domains in the same way.

Limits

The tab links depend on the attendee. /my-schedule requires the schedule and the My Schedule view. /networking requires networking access for that attendee. /lead-scan requires lead scanning and a QR code or scan rights. A link to a tab the attendee doesn't have opens the Home tab.
Some screens exist only on the web app. On the mobile app, a link to one of them opens no screen: a closed app opens on My events, an open app stays on its current screen. See the web-only rows in Deep link reference.
Extra query parameters, such as ?utm_source=newsletter, are ignored.
Ask attendees to update the app to the latest version.

Troubleshooting

The app opens on the Home tab instead of the linked tab.
The attendee doesn't have that tab. Check the attendee's networking access, the schedule settings or the lead scanning settings.

The app opens on My events or stays where it was.
The path exists only on the web app, or the link has a typo. Check the path in Deep link reference and open the same link in the web app.

The link opens the browser instead of the app.
The app is not installed, or the link's domain belongs to a different app. Use next.brella.io for the Brella app and <organization slug>.brella.io for a white-label app.

The attendee signed in and landed on the home screen or on My events.
This is the expected behavior for signed-out attendees. Ask them to open the link again.

Use deep links to open screens in the app