Direct answer
Can TestDock inspect AASA while testing universal links?
TestDock opens universal links through iOS and keeps them attached to the target app profile. With TestDock Pro, it can also inspect the apple-app-site-association response and save the paths that file declares for the app as links, so route behavior and the web association metadata can be reviewed from one place.
Why they fail
A universal link works only when the app, the domain, and iOS agree.
A universal link is an ordinary https URL that iOS opens in your app instead of Safari. For that to happen, the app needs the Associated Domains entitlement with an applinks: entry, the domain has to serve an apple-app-site-association file, and that file has to list the app's identifier and a path pattern that matches the link. If any part is wrong, iOS opens the website and gives no reason.
Testing is awkward as well. Typing the URL into Safari's address bar does not trigger a universal link, so testers paste links into Notes or Messages and tap them from there, build after build.
Opening
Open saved https links through iOS.
On iPhone, TestDock saves universal links as link templates in the app profile, with {{variables}}, defaults, tags, and favorites. Open Link passes the URL to iOS, and iOS decides whether your app or Safari handles it. The result and the exact URL go into that link's open history.
For any http or https link, the detail screen also shows a Universal / app-link checklist for iOS with five items: Associated Domains entitlement, apple-app-site-association file, Application identifier, Path or component match, and Application installed. You tick them off as you confirm each one; TestDock does not verify them itself.
AASA inspection
Check the apple-app-site-association response with Pro.
With TestDock Pro, Verify universal / app links on the Links tab opens the Association inspector. Pick one of the iOS associated domains saved in the profile or type a domain, then tap Inspect public file. An applinks: prefix copied from the entitlement is removed automatically.
TestDock requests https://your-domain/.well-known/apple-app-site-association only when you tap the button, and marks each check as passed or failed:
- HTTPS response, with the HTTP status code
- No redirect observed, or the final URL when the request was redirected
- JSON content type, with the Content-Type header the server returned
- Valid JSON
- Apple app-links structure: whether applinks.details is an array, and how many entries it contains
Limits
What the inspector leaves to you.
The inspector reads the file your server returns right now. Its checks do not confirm that the app IDs or path patterns in the file match your build, and it does not show what Apple's CDN has cached for the domain or what entitlement the installed build carries. Those items stay on the manual checklist.
After a successful inspection on iPhone, TestDock lists the paths the file declares for the profile's bundle identifier. Select the ones you want and save them as links; wildcards in a path become values you fill in when you open the link.
When a universal link opens, TestDock can confirm that iOS accepted the request, not whether your app or Safari received it. You confirm the destination on screen.
Best for
Where this workflow fits.
- Checking whether iOS accepts an HTTPS-link open request
- Reviewing AASA availability and app association metadata
- Repeating route tests with known parameters and open history
Profiles and logs stay on the device, provider credentials use platform secure storage, and exports omit secrets.
Relevant capabilities
What TestDock brings to the job.
Practical workflow
From setup to a reviewed result.
Save the associated domains
Enter the app's iOS associated domains in the profile settings, for example applinks:example.com.
Inspect the AASA file (Pro)
Run the Association inspector for each domain, fix any failed check on the server first, and save the declared paths you want to test as links.
Open the link on iPhone
Save the https URL as a link template and tap Open Link to hand it to iOS.
Confirm where it landed
Note whether your app or Safari opened, tick the checklist items you have confirmed, and compare runs in the open history.
Useful in practice
Direct answers
Questions about universal-link tester.
Can TestDock inspect AASA while testing universal links?
TestDock opens universal links through iOS and keeps them attached to the target app profile. With TestDock Pro, it can also inspect the apple-app-site-association response and save the paths that file declares for the app as links, so route behavior and the web association metadata can be reviewed from one place.
Why did a universal link open Safari when the inspector passed?
The inspector confirms the file is reachable, served as JSON without a redirect, and has an applinks.details array. It does not check that your app ID and paths match, that the build has the Associated Domains entitlement, or which copy of the file iOS has cached. Work through the checklist for those.
Does the inspector read the file from the domain root?
No. It requests the file under /.well-known/apple-app-site-association on the domain you enter, over HTTPS.
Can I test universal links in the free version?
Yes. Saving, opening, and reviewing the history of https links is free for one app profile, and the checklist is shown there too. The Association inspector requires TestDock Pro.
What about Android?
Android uses App Links and assetlinks.json. When TestDock runs on Android, the same screens show the Android checklist and the inspector checks assetlinks.json instead.
Go deeper
Save reusable custom schemes and web links, resolve their parameters, open them on device, and inspect association files.
Read Test deep links and app associationsFree & Pro: what’s included
Available on the App Store and Google Play. Free includes one app profile with unlimited saved links, Quick open, Paste, sharing links in, home-screen shortcuts, and the sample scenario plus one scenario of your own. A one-time Pro purchase unlocks unlimited profiles and scenarios, share fixtures, push testing, association inspection, links created from an apple-app-site-association file on iPhone, and profile or scenario import and export.