How to link to apps on the app store

Question

I am creating a free version of my iPhone game. I want to have a button inside the free version that takes people to the paid version in the app store. If I use a standard link

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300136119&mt=8

the iPhone opens Safari first, and then the app store. I have used other apps that open the app store directly, so I know it is possible.

Any ideas? What is the URL Scheme for the app store?

Answer 1

For Xcode 9.1 and Swift 4:

1. Import StoreKit:

import StoreKit

2.Conform the protocol

SKStoreProductViewControllerDelegate

3.Implement the protocol

func openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier(identifier: String) {
    let storeViewController = SKStoreProductViewController()
    storeViewController.delegate = self

    let parameters = [ SKStoreProductParameterITunesItemIdentifier : identifier]
    storeViewController.loadProduct(withParameters: parameters) { [weak self] (loaded, error) -> Void in

        if loaded {
            // Parent class of self is UIViewContorller
            self?.present(storeViewController, animated: true, completion: nil)
        }
    }   
}

3.1

func productViewControllerDidFinish(_ viewController: SKStoreProductViewController) {
    viewController.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
}

4. How to use:

openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier(identifier: "here_put_your_App_id")

Note:

It is very important to enter the exact ID of your APP. Because this cause error (not show the error log, but nothing works fine because of this)

Answer 2

According to Apple's latest document You need to use

appStoreLink = "https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948?mt=8"  

or

SKStoreProductViewController 

Answer 3

Starting from iOS 6 right way to do it by using SKStoreProductViewController class.

Swift 3.x:

func openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier(identifier: String) {
    let storeViewController = SKStoreProductViewController()
    storeViewController.delegate = self

    let parameters = [ SKStoreProductParameterITunesItemIdentifier : identifier]
    storeViewController.loadProduct(withParameters: parameters) { [weak self] (loaded, error) -> Void in
        if loaded {
            // Parent class of self is UIViewContorller
            self?.present(storeViewController, animated: true, completion: nil)
        }
    }
}

func productViewControllerDidFinish(_ viewController: SKStoreProductViewController) {
    viewController.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
}
// Usage:
openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier(identifier: "13432")

You can get the app's itunes item identifier like this: (instead of a static one)

Swift 3.2

var appID: String = infoDictionary["CFBundleIdentifier"]
var url = URL(string: "http://itunes.apple.com/lookup?bundleId=\(appID)")
var data = Data(contentsOf: url!)
var lookup = try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data!, options: []) as? [AnyHashable: Any]
var appITunesItemIdentifier = lookup["results"][0]["trackId"] as? String
openStoreProductViewController(withITunesItemIdentifier: Int(appITunesItemIdentifier!) ?? 0)

Swift 2.x:

func openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier(identifier: String) {
    let storeViewController = SKStoreProductViewController()
    storeViewController.delegate = self

    let parameters = [ SKStoreProductParameterITunesItemIdentifier : identifier]
    storeViewController.loadProductWithParameters(parameters) { [weak self] (loaded, error) -> Void in
        if loaded {
            // Parent class of self is UIViewContorller
            self?.presentViewController(storeViewController, animated: true, completion: nil)
        }
    }
}

func productViewControllerDidFinish(viewController: SKStoreProductViewController) {
    viewController.dismissViewControllerAnimated(true, completion: nil)
}
// Usage
openStoreProductWithiTunesItemIdentifier("2321354")

---

objective-C:

static NSInteger const kAppITunesItemIdentifier = 324684580;
[self openStoreProductViewControllerWithITunesItemIdentifier:kAppITunesItemIdentifier];

- (void)openStoreProductViewControllerWithITunesItemIdentifier:(NSInteger)iTunesItemIdentifier {
    SKStoreProductViewController *storeViewController = [[SKStoreProductViewController alloc] init];

    storeViewController.delegate = self;

    NSNumber *identifier = [NSNumber numberWithInteger:iTunesItemIdentifier];

    NSDictionary *parameters = @{ SKStoreProductParameterITunesItemIdentifier:identifier };
    UIViewController *viewController = self.window.rootViewController;
    [storeViewController loadProductWithParameters:parameters
                                   completionBlock:^(BOOL result, NSError *error) {
                                       if (result)
                                           [viewController presentViewController:storeViewController
                                                              animated:YES
                                                            completion:nil];
                                       else NSLog(@"SKStoreProductViewController: %@", error);
                                   }];

    [storeViewController release];
}

#pragma mark - SKStoreProductViewControllerDelegate

- (void)productViewControllerDidFinish:(SKStoreProductViewController *)viewController {
    [viewController dismissViewControllerAnimated:YES completion:nil];
}

You can get kAppITunesItemIdentifier (app's itunes item identifier) like this: (instead of a static one)

NSDictionary* infoDictionary = [[NSBundle mainBundle] infoDictionary];
    NSString* appID = infoDictionary[@"CFBundleIdentifier"];
    NSURL* url = [NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"http://itunes.apple.com/lookup?bundleId=%@", appID]];
    NSData* data = [NSData dataWithContentsOfURL:url];
    NSDictionary* lookup = [NSJSONSerialization JSONObjectWithData:data options:0 error:nil];
    NSString * appITunesItemIdentifier =  lookup[@"results"][0][@"trackId"]; 
    [self openStoreProductViewControllerWithITunesItemIdentifier:[appITunesItemIdentifier intValue]];

Answer 4

To be extreamly concise:

[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:@"itms://itunes.com/apps/appname"]];

If you want to send to all the apps for a developer, use

[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:@"itms://itunes.com/apps/developername"]];

These work for iOS 4.1

If you want to link to a developer's apps and the developer's name has punctuation or spaces (e.g. Development Company, LLC) form your URL like this:

[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:@"itms-apps://itunes.com/apps/DevelopmentCompanyLLC"]];

Otherwise it returns "This request cannot be processed" on iOS 4.3.3

Answer 5

To have a direct link without redirection :

1. Use iTunes link maker http://itunes.apple.com/linkmaker/ to get the real direct link
2. Replace the http:// with itms-apps://
3. Open the link with [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:url];

Be careful, those links only works on actual devices, not in simulator.

Source : https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#qa/qa2008/qa1629.html

Answer 6

This worked for me perfectly using only APP ID:

 NSString *urlString = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"http://itunes.apple.com/app/id%@",YOUR_APP_ID];
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:urlString]];

The number of redirects is ZERO.