If you use Chrome on iOS and you surf to a website like Instagram or YouTube, it will attempt to launch into the app itself as opposed to displaying the mobile web version of the site. In terms of functionality this would be so much better as far as certain apps are concerned, especially if they require you to log in.
However the feature was never available for Safari, at least until now. Google has announced that they will be enabling app indexing for Safari on iOS. According to Google, “That means that you can start getting your app content into the Search results page on Safari in iOS, simply by adding Universal Links to your iOS app, then integrating with our SDK.”
This also means that the feature that was only available on Android and on Chrome for iOS will now be available for Safari. If you’re a heavy Safari user or if you just prefer Safari than Chrome, then this feature is one that you’ll definitely want to look forward to. However we suppose the onus is also on the developer of the app to include the Universal Links in order to make this happen.
So at the start, don’t be surprised if some of the websites you visit don’t open into the app that’s installed on your phone.