smartphoneuri

Smartphoneuri is a proposed uniform resource identifier scheme intended to encode actions and resources on mobile devices, with the goal of enabling interoperable launching of apps, services, and device features from web pages, emails, messages, and other apps. It is described as a way to represent device-specific intents and actions in a standardized, cross-platform format, distinct from general web URLs.

In concept, a smartphoneuri would combine a scheme with action-oriented paths and parameters to indicate the target application and required inputs. As an illustrative example (not an official standard), a smartphoneuri might resemble smartphoneuri:app=com.example.camera?action=open&mode=portrait or smartphoneuri:maps?lat=37.77&lon=-122.41&zoom=14, which would be resolved by the OS to launch the camera or maps with the given settings.

Today, developers use OS-specific mechanisms such as Android intents, iOS universal links, or URL schemes to perform similar tasks. Smartphoneuri would conceptually unify these approaches, relying on a registry of supported apps and platform-specific resolvers to translate the URI into an action.

Status: there is no formal standard for smartphoneuri. The concept appears in discussions about mobile interoperability and web-to-app linking, but it has not been adopted widely by major platform vendors or standardization bodies.

Security and privacy considerations include user consent, origin verification, and permission checks. Mixed with misleading links, smartphoneuri-like patterns could enable spoofing or unauthorized access to device features, so any implementation would need robust safeguards and transparent user prompts.

See also: URI, Uniform Resource Identifier, Deep linking, App links, Universal Links, Android intent, iOS universal links, Web-to-app integration.