iOS URL Schema for Hyperlinks

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After spending sometime working on my iPad dashboard, I became familiar with the iOS URL Schemas. These schemas allow you to create hyperlinks to open apps.

For example, you can create a URL link such as:
fackbook:// - when saved as a tile, it will launch FaceBook when clicked.

One of the difficult aspects is knowing what these URLs are. For example, I wanted to launch my Chevrolet app from a tile or I wanted to add a hyperlink to one of my forecast radars to launch Weatherbug.

How do you find these?

The best method I could find (using a Windows PC) was to download the iMazing App (free license)

And follow these instructions here:

So in my case, the Chevy URL is:
mychevrolet-owner://

The Weatherbug URL is:
weatherbugelite-widget://

I was using an Kiosk app tKiosk, but I found the links did not work.
But if I used the Kiosker Pro App, the links worked and I was able to ā€œreturnā€ back to dashboard.

One more idea, you can create a shortcut to launch an app (for example Rapid Ring).
You can then launch the shortcut using the following:
shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=[name or your shortcut]

Only problem with shortcuts is, you canā€™t return back to the dashboard, so youā€™ll need to add some sort of ā€œtimeoutā€ logic to relaunch the Kiosker App.

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Thereā€™s also an iPhone app that scans all of the apps on your phone and matches them to a url scheme. Unfortunately I canā€™t remember what itā€™s called as I solely use Fire HDs for my dashboards. I think I put a post on here, so Iā€™ll see if I can find itā€¦

Edit: Found it. The app is ā€˜Iconicalā€™. As soon as you click the ā€˜select appā€™ button, it scans all of your apps and provides possible urls with buttons to test if they launch the app.

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That works for a lot of apps, but it has a database to cross-reference.
I used this one as well, but it did not have entries for my rather unique apps such as:

  • HTD MC / HTD Valet Home Control
  • myChevrolet
  • Lincoln Way
  • Bring!

But it did have over 130,000 references - so may meet most peoples needs.
My understanding is, Apple does not allow (anymore?) actual ā€œscanningā€ of installed app plist.info files.

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Iā€™m curious what you mean by this. I have an app with no URL Scheme and forced to use shortcuts.

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Sorry for the delay here.

If you are able to launch an App using a ā€œhyperlinkā€ like: ring:// - then it will open in a windowed mode and you can close the window by clicking in the top left - then it returns back to the dashboard.

If you use a Apple Shortcut to launch an app, when you close the app, it returns back to the Apple Device home screen - requiring you to relaunch SharpTools to get back to the dashboard.

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