URL Scheme: How can I create a link, which will open a document in the Google Drive app

Question

I am trying to create a web page, which embeds several Google Docs in it. My problem is that when this page is viewed on an android device, then the user is presented with the terrible web based Google Docs editor. Therefore, I would like to have a link on my page, which opens the native Google Drive app on the users phone, so he/she can edit the document there. After searching for two hours, I am unable to figure out how to make a link, which automatically opens the document in the native app.

I succeeded with viewing the Google Drive app in google market using the following link:

market://details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs

I also experimented with

googledrive://no-idea-what-to-write-here

But that did not succeed either.

Is this possible at all, or does this only work on iOS?

Answer 1

There does not seem to be a good way to do what you want (at least according to my testing with Android 4.0.4; maybe the situation is different with other versions).

Using http: or https: links intercepted by an app

In theory, just using the https://docs.google.com/... link for the document should work for you. According to this answer on StackOverflow, intercepting http: or https: URLs is the proper way to start an app when opening a link from the Android browser. The Google Drive app does exactly this — it registers intent filters for https://drive.google.com, https://docs.google.com, https://spreadsheets.google.com and a bunch of similar URLs (including http: with the same host names). And this actually works — when using the stock Android browser, attempting to open a link pointing to https://drive.google.com results in the chooser popup with the Google Drive app included in the list (together with all installed browsers); selecting Google Drive results in opening the document in the Google Drive editor, as you want.

But the problem is that such intercepted HTTP[S] URLs work only in the stock Android browser — I have not been able to find any third-party browser which could show the app chooser when following such links. I tested Chrome, Dolphin, Firefox, Light Browser, Opera (including Classic and Mini), UC Browser, and all of them just opened the link internally instead of offering to pass it to the Google Drive app.

Using the intent: URI scheme

There is another way to make a link which starts an Android app — use the intent: URI scheme. I have not been able to find proper documentation for the intent: URI format; of course, the source code for the function which generates such URIs is available.

For your test document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zSzDnV-90Ke3dzCCJ2CZ6iQ3JQ3F1hL1udGDqbNwwbY/edit?usp=sharing

the corresponding intent: link which opens it in the Google Drive app will be:

intent://docs.google.com/document/d/1zSzDnV-90Ke3dzCCJ2CZ6iQ3JQ3F1hL1udGDqbNwwbY/edit?usp=sharing#Intent;scheme=https;action=android.intent.action.VIEW;category=android.intent.category.DEFAULT;category=android.intent.category.BROWSABLE;package=com.google.android.apps.docs;end

A test link with this URI is on a separate page (it is not possible to make an actual link pointing to such URI here).

The process of conversion is as follows:

1. Replace starting https: with intent:.

2. Append intent parameters:

   #Intent;scheme=https;action=android.intent.action.VIEW;category=android.intent.category.DEFAULT;category=android.intent.category.BROWSABLE;package=com.google.android.apps.docs;end
   

   Here scheme=https correspond to https: in the original URL, so if you want to convert a plainhttp: URL, this field should be scheme=http. And package=com.google.android.apps.docs is the package name of the app which should handle the link.

Now, when such link is followed, the browser should open the Google Drive app directly (without showing the app chooser). However, if the app is not installed, Android will open the Market app instead, and perform a search for the specified package name, so that the user could install the required app.

It is also possible to make the intent: link without the package parameter:

intent://docs.google.com/document/d/1zSzDnV-90Ke3dzCCJ2CZ6iQ3JQ3F1hL1udGDqbNwwbY/edit?usp=sharing#Intent;scheme=https;action=android.intent.action.VIEW;category=android.intent.category.DEFAULT;category=android.intent.category.BROWSABLE;end

In this case the behavior should be the same as when the intercepted https: link is followed in the stock Android browser — the app chooser with the Google Drive app and all browser apps will be displayed, and if the Google Drive app is not installed, the user will not be redirected to install it from Market.

Unlike intercepted http: and https: links, intent: links work in a wider range of Android browser apps; unfortunately, some browsers do not support them. Results of my testing:

• Works: stock Android 4.0.4 browser, Chrome, Light Browser, Opera, Opera Classic.
• Does not work: Dolphin, Firefox (feature request is pending), UC Browser.

And, obviously, non-Android browsers would not support such links at all, so you will need to use some kind of browser sniffing if your pages also must be usable for other clients.

Using a custom URI scheme

Some apps use completely nonstandard URI schemes, which might also work from third-party browsers. However, the Google Drive app does not do that, therefore this solution is not suitable for it (unless someone creates a “bridge” app which just passes requests to the Google Drive app).

Some browsers could also disallow nonstandard URI schemes except some whitelisted ones (such as market:) due to security concerns; I did not try to test this.