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No: serving assetlinks.json only from /api does not satisfy Android App Links verification. Android looks for the file at https://<hostname>/.well-known/assetlinks.json. Configure your site or deployment to return the association JSON directly at that exact HTTPS URL, then verify its response and contents.

Why the `/api` URL does not work

For each hostname in a qualifying app intent filter, Android requests https://<hostname>/.well-known/assetlinks.json. The verification flow does not use an alternate API path just because the same file is available there. The required location is documented in Android’s website association configuration guide, and the per-host behavior is described in its App Links verification guide.

The practical fix is to make the required well-known URL serve the JSON. You can place a static file there or configure your server or deployment to return the JSON at that path. The Android documentation defines the endpoint and response requirements, not the server-specific rewrite or routing syntax.

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What the well-known endpoint must return

  • HTTPS: Serve the file over HTTPS for the exact hostname used in the app’s intent filter.
  • A direct successful response: The endpoint should return the JSON without redirecting to another URL, including an `/api` route.
  • The right content type: Return Content-Type: application/json.
  • Valid association JSON: The response body must contain the relationship and app identity Android needs to verify.

These are response requirements, not just file-placement conventions. Android’s App Links troubleshooting guide and configuration guide cover HTTPS, redirects, content type, and JSON configuration.

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Check the app association in the JSON

The association statement must identify the Android app that is allowed to handle the website’s links. Check that its relation is delegate_permission/common.handle_all_urls, its target namespace is android_app, and its app identity contains the correct package name and SHA-256 signing-certificate fingerprint.

Use the fingerprint for the certificate that signs the distributed app. If you use Play App Signing, check the fingerprint in Play Console: the certificate for a locally generated keystore may differ from the one used for Play-distributed releases. The Android configuration guide describes the association fields and allows multiple fingerprints when an app needs to support different signing identities.

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Check every hostname and the app manifest

Test each hostname present in the app’s intent filters separately. For example, if the app lists both example.com and www.example.com, both hostnames need to serve the association file at their own well-known URL; success on one does not establish success on the other.

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Also inspect the app configuration. The manifest needs a qualifying VIEW intent filter with android:autoVerify="true". If verification succeeds but links still open in a browser, review the filter’s host and path rules as well as the device’s reported domain state. Android’s troubleshooting guidance covers these checks.

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Test the endpoint and rerun verification

  1. Request https://<hostname>/.well-known/assetlinks.json directly for every configured hostname.
  2. Confirm each request returns a successful HTTPS response without a redirect, has Content-Type: application/json, and contains valid JSON.
  3. Inspect the association statement’s package name and SHA-256 fingerprint against the app’s release signing identity.
  4. Use Android’s App Links testing workflow to rerun verification and inspect the domain state. If verification still fails, use the reported state together with the troubleshooting guide to isolate whether the issue is the endpoint, association data, or manifest.
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Which Android versions are relevant?

App Links verification is available on Android 6.0 (API level 23) and later devices with Google services. Dynamic App Links are supported on Android 15 (API level 35) and later with Google services; their rules cannot expand beyond the scope declared in the app manifest. These version boundaries are described in Android’s App Links overview and verification guide.

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