Stream Player · Android · Deep link demo

One link. The browser hands it to Android.
The app resolves it and plays it.

The player below streams from a public URL. The Open in app button does the same thing using a deep link — and the panels underneath show every step the Android system performs on the way.

01

Try it

Play in the browser, then send the exact same stream to the Android app.

https://test-streams.mux.dev/x36xhzz/x36xhzz.m3u8

Open in Stream Player

If the app is not installed, Android reports that nothing can open the link. On a desktop browser the click is simply ignored.

Link that will be sent streamplayer://play?url=…
Intent action
android.intent.action.VIEW
Intent data
—
Handled by
—
Plays
—

Open it on your phone

Scan with the camera app. The code contains the custom-scheme link, so the phone opens the app directly — no web server, no network round trip. Your phone just needs Stream Player installed.

The QR updates whenever you switch streams.

02

What happens when you tap it

Six steps from a web page to a playing video, and the code behind each one.

  1. 1

    Link clicked

    The page points at a URL with a custom scheme. Android does not treat it as a web address.

    <a href="streamplayer://play?url=…" >
  2. 2

    Browser hands over

    The browser cannot render the scheme, so it asks the system for an app that can.

    startActivity(Intent(ACTION_VIEW, data))
  3. 3

    Manifest match

    Android matches the intent filter and picks the app. The filter declares the scheme.

    <data android:scheme="streamplayer" />
  4. 4

    Activity receives

    The launcher activity gets the URI. singleTask means a second tap reuses it.

    intent.data → MainActivity
  5. 5

    URL is resolved

    The resolver pulls the real stream URL out of the link, plus any extra headers.

    DeepLinkResolver.resolve(uri)
  6. 6

    Player starts

    Media3 picks the source type from the extension and starts buffering.

    PlayerActivity → ExoPlayer
03

Build it & inspect it

The builder generates links; the inspector runs the app's own parsing rules on anything you paste.

Build a deep link

Pick a shape. The stream above is used automatically.

Generated link —
Open in app

Inspect any link

This runs the same rules as DeepLinkResolver.kt.

Scheme
—
Query
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Candidate
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Stream URL
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Headers
—
04

Every supported link shape

The custom scheme works immediately. App Links need a domain you control.

ShapeExampleNotes
streamplayer://play?url=… streamplayer://play?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhost%2Fx.m3u8 URL-encoded parameter
streamplayer://play/… streamplayer://play/https://host/x.m3u8 Stream URL inside the path
streamplayer://… streamplayer://https://host/x.m3u8 Raw, no key needed
https://host/?url=… https://player.yourdomain.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhost%2Fx.m3u8 App Link — needs assetlinks.json
https://host/play/… https://player.yourdomain.com/play/https%3A%2F%2Fhost%2Fx.m3u8 App Link, path form
https://host/x.m3u8 https://player.yourdomain.com/media/x.m3u8 Direct media link, no parameter
&header=Name:Value …&header=Referer:https://example.com Extra HTTP request header, repeatable

Stream formats

Media3 selects the parser from the file extension.

  • HLS.m3u8 — live and VOD
  • DASH.mpd — adaptive bitrate
  • SmoothStreaming.ism / .mp4
  • MP4 / WebMprogressive download

Testing from a computer

Fire a deep link at a connected device.

custom scheme adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "streamplayer://play?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhost%2Fx.m3u8" \
  com.streamplayer.app
App Link adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW \
  -d "https://player.yourdomain.com/play/…" \
  com.streamplayer.app