Google URL Shortener Can Now Directly Launch Android, iOS Apps

Google has just rolled out a fresh update to its Goo.gl URL shortening service, now allowing links to load up an app and bring the user straight to the appropriate page. An example can be seen below, where a user taps a link on Twitter, and is brought to the specific page of an appropriate app. Got $23,000,000 kicking around?

Developers interested in taking advantage of this feature will need to follow the steps in Google's App Indexing guide, found here. Once done, pages inside of your app could come up as search results, and further, you may find greater success when someone searches for an app like yours in Google's search engine.

Google also encourages developers to integrate Goo.gl into their app's share flow, allowing their users to quickly share content using the same mechanism.

A great update, and one you can test out by using this link, which will open up the Google Maps app if on a mobile and bring you straight to Google's HQ in Mountain View.