Exploring all of the great APIs that Google Play services has to offer and will deep dive into Google Search and App Indexing to help you connect to your users like never before. You will see how to easily integrate the App Indexing SDK into your Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.Forms apps to create deep links between your content and web content. Keep your users in your app and coming back for more.

1. Don't Let Your Mobile App Get Lost
James Montemagno
Developer Evangelist, Xamarin

2. Who’s this guy?
James
Montemagno
Developer Evangelist, Xamarin
james@xamarin.com motzcod.es @JamesMontemagno

3. Let’s go back to 1997!
• TV:
• South Park, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, & King of the Hill
• Movies:
• Star Wars Episode IV - VI theatrical re-releases!
• Titanic grossed over $1 billion
• Starship Troopers releases!
• Games:
• Final Fantasy VII releases! Sells 2M in 3 days!
• GoldenEye 007 destroys my childhood
• Me:
• I turned 11!
• I got hooked on Tamagotchi
• I found the Internet!

4. The Internet in 1997!

9. App Stores Today

10. We Apps!
189M
downloads
a day
200mins on
phone
127mins in
apps

11. How many do we actually use?

12. The average app user has 36 apps installed on his
or her phone.

13. Only 1/4 are used daily:

14. 1/4 of apps are never used!

15. My Phone
117 Apps
107 “Non-system” Apps!

16. Used Today
17

17. Mobile search is a key way for users
to discover and engage with your
app’s content.

18. Discover & Engage

19. SDKs in our toolkit:
• iOS Spotlight Search
• Google App Indexing
• More:
• Facebook AppLinks
• Twitter Cards
• Schema.org Actions
• iOS Universal Linking

20. iOS Search APIs
NSUserActivity
• Handoff Enabled
• Pieces of Content
& Pages
• When user views
• Ability to save
state of screen
• Less Data
• More Functionality
Core Spotlight
• Pre-Indexing Entire
App’s Content
• Full set or Part of
set
• More Data
• Less Functionality
Web Markup
• Deep linking
from web

21. NSUserActivity: Index Activities

22. NSUserActivity
• Set “Activity”
• Add metadata
• Save “Activity”

23. NSUserActivity CreateActivity()
{
var activity = new NSUserActivity("com.xamarin.monkeys.monkey" );
activity.EligibleForSearch = true;
activity.EligibleForPublicIndexing = true;
activity.EligibleForHandoff = false;
activity.Title = monkey.Name;
activity.Keywords = new NSSet<NSString>(new NSString(monkey.Name),
new NSString("Monkey"));
var attributeSet = new CoreSpotlight.CSSearchableItemAttributeSet ();
attributeSet.ContentDescription = monkey.Details;
activity.ContentAttributeSet = attributeSet;
var info = NSDictionary.FromObjectAndKey(new NSString(monkey.Name),
new NSString("Name"));
activity.AddUserInfoEntries(info);
return activity;
Create Activity

24. public override void ViewWillAppear()
{
base.ViewWillAppear();
UserActivity = CreateActivity();
UserActivity.BecomeCurrent();
}
public override void ViewWillDisappear(bool animated)
{
base.ViewWillDisappear(animated);
UserActivity.ResignCurrent();
}
Set Activity

25. public override void UpdateUserActivityState (NSUserActivity activity)
{
// update activity
var info = NSDictionary.FromObjectAndKey(new NSString(monkey.Name),
new NSString("Name"));
activity.AddUserInfoEntries(info);
base.UpdateUserActivityState (activity);
}
Update State

26. Respond
public override bool ContinueUserActivity (UIApplication application,
NSUserActivity userActivity, UIApplicationRestorationHandler completionHandler)
{
// Take action based on the activity type
switch (userActivity.ActivityType) {
case "com.xamarin.monkeys.monkey":
var uid = userActivity.UserInfo.ObjectForKey((NSString)"Name").ToString();
break;
}
return true;
}

27. Let’s Search Monkeys!

28. Google App Indexing
• Put your app in front of users in Google Search

29. •iOS
• Promote Search Results
• Deep Link Content
• Enhance Display Elements
App Indexing Features
•Android
• Promote Search Results
• Deep Link Content
• Enhance Display Elements
• Drive Installs: better ranking
signal for all Urls
• Query Auto completions
• Now on Tap

30. • In Google Search
Search Better
• Connect your Site to App

31. Add support for links (http) and App
Indexing API in app
How to index your app
1
2
3
Verify you app against your site on
Google Play Developer Console
Publish links (over API)

33. Add IntentFilter
[IntentFilter(new []{ Intent.ActionView },
Categories = new []
{
Android.Content.Intent.CategoryDefault,
Android.Content.Intent.CategoryBrowsable
},
DataScheme = "http",
DataHost = "monkeysapp.com",
DataPathPrefix ="/Home/Detail/")]
public class MainActivity : BaseActivity
{
}

34. Handle Intent
protected override void OnNewIntent(Intent intent)
{
base.OnNewIntent(intent);
var action = intent.Action;
var data = intent.DataString;
if (Intent.ActionView != action || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(data))
return;
//only if deep linking
if (!data.Contains("/Home/Detail/"))
return;
var monkeyId = data.Substring(
data.LastIndexOf("/", StringComparison.Ordinal) + 1).Replace("%20", " ");
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(monkeyId))
{
var i = new Intent(this, typeof(DetailsActivity));
i.PutExtra("Name", monkeyId);
StartActivity(i);
}

37. google.com/webmasters

40. Install App Indexing NuGet

41. Create “Content Action”
GoogleApiClient client;
protected override void OnCreate(Android.OS.Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
base.OnCreate(savedInstanceState);
client = new GoogleApiClient.Builder(this).AddApi(AppIndex.API).Build();
}
public IndexingAction AppIndexAction
{
get
{
var item = new Thing.Builder().SetName(title).SetDescription(description)
.SetUrl(Android.Net.Uri.Parse(url)).SetType(schemaType).SetId(url).Build();
var thing = new IndexingAction.Builder(IndexingAction.TypeView)
.SetObject(item)
.SetActionStatus(IndexingAction.StatusTypeCompleted)
.Build();
return thing.JavaCast<IndexingAction>();

42. Index the Content
protected override async void OnStart()
{
base.OnStart();
client.Connect();
await AppIndex.AppIndexApi.StartAsync(client, AppIndexAction);
}
protected override async void OnStop()
{
base.OnStop();
await AppIndex.AppIndexApi.EndAsync(client, AppIndexAction);
client.Disconnect();
}

44. Test Integration in Console

45. Let’s Search More Monkeys!

46. iOS 9 App Indexing?
• Simply Add Universal Links (Web Markup)
• Integrate Deep Links in ApplicationDelegate
• Add app-to-site association in Info.plist
• Install App Indexing Component for iOS
• Call: GSDAppIndexing.SharedInstance.RegisterApp(“ITUNES_ID”);
• DONE!

47. We can do more!
• Developer Accounts
• Google Search
• Voice Interactions
• App Invites

48. Developer Accounts
Turn This:

49. Developer Accounts
Into this:

50. Google Developer Console

51. OK Google,
https://blog.xamarin.com/add-a-conversation-to-your-android-
app-with-voice-interactions/

52. Voice Interactions
– Build conversational voice
experiences into app
– Extend System Voice Actions
– Interact with your users

54. App Invites
– Allow users to share apps
– Email or SMS
– Deep Link Content
– Provide exclusive content

55. App Invites

56. Don’t let your app get lost!
• Leverage Search and have your users coming back for more
• Connect your website and mobile app for a rich experience
• Add unique features to bring more users

57. Thank you.
James
Montemagno
Developer Evangelist, Xamarin
james@xamarin.com motzcod.es @JamesMontemagno
slideshare.net/JamesMontemagno