UWP Apps for websites doesn't works when click link from a web page.

marck0zz 26

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to enable "Apps for websites" in my UWP app that I making with Unity. I have follow this tutorial, (that is made for mac but I made the changes to run it on Windows and is based on Unity docs, so) and the propper Microsoft Learn to achieve this.

Every things woks good so far, except that when I click any link to my website on the browser, it opens a new tab on the browser instead of my app. If I click the link from any other app (like mail app, or pdf, any other document, even from a comment on visual studio) it opens my app, also from the Run dialog box. I can even see my app on the "Apps for Websites" in the setting of my PC.

I have follow all the recomendation on the Windows and Unity docs but the result is the same. However, I think one of my issues is the "windows-app-web-link" .json file on my server. What is the propper way to serve the file???. I've loaded it as "windows-app-web-link" and force the .json extension with an ".htaccess" file (My website is hosted on Siteground so, is linux based), and ""windows-app-web-link.json" although the docs says not to do it, I've located the file on the root of my server and on ".wellknown" folder but nothing change.

How can I test that this "windows-app-web-link" is working?
What am I missing? or what can I try?

I will apreciate any help.

Thanks in advance.

Using:
Unity 2020.3.3
Visual Studio 2019 ver 16.11.13
Windows 10 Ver 21H1

marck0zz 26 Reputation points

2022-05-15T05:40:07.367+00:00

Forgot to mention that I loaded the "windows-app-web-link" file without any extension and without .htaccess file with the same result. Also, this post that some people has made reference in other forums, stays that with this procedure (Deep Linking/URI handler) "The app cannot be activated if the link is clicked within the browser. Clicking a link within the browser, the user stays in the browser." is that true?
Roy Li - MSFT 31,551 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2022-05-16T03:07:45.16+00:00

Based on the policy of Microsoft Q&A, we do not support questions that are related to Unity, for example, the app is created by Unity.

Could you please create a native UWP application with Visual Studio? Then try to follow the apps for websites document and check if this behavior still exists.
marck0zz 26 Reputation points

2022-05-17T01:18:33.08+00:00

Since when? this is not my first Windows/Unity Question. Plus I'm not asking any Unity specific question, but two windows related.

Could you please create a native UWP application with Visual Studio?

As you may know, I have to export the project to Visual Studio and compile it on Visual Studio in order to build my UWP and uploaded it to the Microsoft Store, so I thing this is done.
Roy Li - MSFT 31,551 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2022-05-17T06:32:01.4+00:00

There used to be scenarios where a function works correctly in a native UWP project but does not work in a UWP project that is converted from third-party tools like Unity, Electron, etc. So it is important to check if this issue happens in the native UWP project.
marck0zz 26 Reputation points

2022-05-18T01:30:10.38+00:00

Ok, that make sense.

I will try to replicate just that part off my app on a native UWP.

Thank you!!
Roy Li - MSFT 31,551 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2022-05-24T05:42:24.933+00:00

@marck0zz Any updates about this?