Facebook rolls out new iOS client app controls for developers

Facebook has rolled out some “iOS native deep linking” controls for developers today, giving developers better tools to link their applications to Facebook and vice versa. The tools let developers direct users from Facebook apps directly to native iOS applications with ease, and then back again.

From the Facebook Developer page:

You can set up and configure distribution from the Facebook iOS app to your app through the Dev App. To enable requests, bookmarks, and search results to link back to your app, you must configure your settings as follows: Enter an iOS Bundle ID that corresponds to your app, Enter an iPhone and/or iPad App Store ID, Enable the “Configured for iOS SSO” setting … By default, published News Feed or Open Graph stories will link back to the provided story URL. For example, you may link these stories to your mobile web site or you may link to an intermediate page that then redirects to either a mobile web site, desktop page, or native URL.

Man, talk about a welcome addition. Previously, navigating between applications on Facebook was a bit of a nightmare. It’s pretty awesome that Facebook’s giving developers better tools to transfer users to mobile applications instead of websites through Safari. Giving users the ability to head directly to the App Store to pickup an applications they may not actually own yet is another pretty smart move. Obviously Facebook’s been pretty big on encouraging developers to build native Facebook applications, but giving me the ability to get a better functioning, native application on my device of choice goes a long way towards increasing my user experience within the Facebook application.

Joshua is the Content Marketing Manager at BuySellAds. He’s also the founder of Macgasm.net. And since all that doesn’t quite give him enough content to wrangle, he’s also a technology journalist in his spare time, with bylines at PCWorld, Macworld and TechHive.