Standard deep links break when a new user installs an app from the App Store or Google Play — the original URL context is lost. This is called the Installation Gap. Detour, a library from Software Mansion, solves this with deferred deep linking that integrates directly into Expo Router via the `+native-intent.tsx` hook, resolving the original URL before the first screen renders. It also handles the auth gate problem by holding the link intent in memory until the user is signed in, then navigating exactly once. On Android, matching is deterministic via the Install Referrer API; on iOS, probabilistic fingerprinting is used. Detour 1.0 supports React Native, Flutter, and native platforms, with custom domains included.
Table of contents
What’s happening (and why)The existing optionHow Detour approaches thisHow matching works under the hoodWhy this matters at the router levelThe road ahead345 Impressions