open instagram and go to a profile

[janines77256686]

is it possible using the datashare native extension below to open the instagram app and go directly to a profile preset? so I could send people to my instagram profile for them to follow me?

Datashare Native Extension | Adobe Developer Connection

[janines77256686]

any help on this would be most awesome! 🙂

[georgefrankperry]

why not just direct them to the web profile?

http://instagram.com/profilenamehere

that way the user doesn't need to have instagram installed for the link to work

[natural_criticB837]

Yes and if you have the app installed it should fire it up with a deep link automatically.

[janines77256686]

well at the moment i do use the web profile but thats not ideal  - it seems to open in the app first then goes out of the app and into the web profile. Then if you want to follow the profile linked to you have to either then re-open in the app or sign in to the web version

whats a deep link?

[natural_criticB837]

Deep Links are just normal web links, but the app is configured so that the app will open the URL instead of the browser. I have never used Instagram, so I can not help with the details in this case, but I just assumed that Instagram supports deep links, it's kind of a standard feature for modern apps.

[janines77256686]

unofrtunately it doesnt seem to - both facebook and instagram open in browser not the app

the code i am using is
navigateToURL(new URLRequest("http://www.facebook.com/username"));

[georgefrankperry · Accepted solution]

that's because you're not using a deep link url. did you look up what a deep link is?

this website will generate them for you.

Deep Link into Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon Like a Genius

[janines77256686]

wonderful! thanks so much. that worked

is there anything I can do to send them to the web if they don't have the app installed? right now if i delete instagram from my phone and try the link it just opens nothing

[janines77256686]

Anypne got any ideas on how I can detect if the app is installed so if it isn't i can do a weblink instead of a deep link?