How do you configure deep links and universal links to open specific screens from external URLs?

Short answer

Configure a linking object in NavigationContainer with the prefixes (scheme and web domain), and map URL patterns to screen routes and parameters.

Explanation

Deep links let users tap a URL such as https://myapp.com/products/42 or myapp://products/42 so the system opens the app and navigates directly to the specified product screen. Configuration includes Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) using the apple-app-site-association and assetlinks.json files.

Code example

const linking = {
  prefixes: ['myapp://', 'https://myapp.com'],
  config: {
    screens: {
      MainTabs: {
        screens: {
          Feed: 'feed',
        },
      },
      Details: 'product/:id',
    },
  },
};

<NavigationContainer linking={linking} fallback={<LoadingSpinner />}>
  <RootNavigator />
</NavigationContainer>;

Common mistakes

• Forgetting fallback handling for invalid deep-link routes, which can crash the app when a link has incorrect parameters.

Follow-up questions

• What is the Expo Router architecture, and how does file-based routing differ from traditional React Navigation?

Sources

• React Navigation docs — Configuring links
• React Navigation docs — Deep linking