App Clips were introduced with iOS 14 as a new way to experience specific parts of an app without downloading it entirely to your iPhone or iPad. While users could already try App Clips through URLs, NFC tags, or QR Codes, Apple is now offering custom App Clip Codes as well.
iOS users can access the new App Clips through NFC tags, QR codes, Safari App Banners, links in Messages, and place cards in Maps. All you need to do is tap the link or scan a valid QR code to access the App Clip on your device without even having to download and install the full version of the app from the App Store.
Starting today, developers can generate custom App Clips Codes for their apps, which offers a “beautiful and distinct” way to access these App Clips by just pointing the camera at the code or even turning it into an NFC tag.
According to Apple, the new App Clip Codes can be generated in the App Store Connect or with the new command line App Clip Code Generator. This, of course, requires that the app already offers support for App Clips.
Easily discoverable and quick to launch at the moment it’s needed, an App Clip is a small part of your app that lets users start and finish an experience in seconds. While you can offer users several ways to discover your App Clip, the best way is with an App Clip Code. Visually beautiful and distinct, each App Clip Code encodes a URL and can incorporate an NFC tag. Users can hold their iPhone near the code or scan it with the camera to open your App Clip and quickly complete a task, before downloading your app.
As pointed out by Rambo, App Clip Codes require iOS 14.3 or iPadOS 14.3 to work.
App Clip codes are now available for developers. Here’s one for @chibistudioapp (requires iOS 14.3). pic.twitter.com/RfAGnx9LsS
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) December 14, 2020
