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Links containing URI schemes to external applications do not work on iOS #4866
Description
Hello,
I use NetNewsWire with a custom feed that includes links to other iOS applications in the feed text. Below is a very basic example:
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Example Feed</title>
<link>https://example.com</link>
<description>Example Feed</description>
<docs>http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification</docs>
<generator>Example/1.0</generator>
<image>
<url>/favicon.ico</url>
<title>Example Feed</title>
<link>https://example.com</link>
</image>
<language>en</language>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:01:49 +0000</lastBuildDate>
<managingEditor>info@example.com (Example)</managingEditor>
<webMaster>info@example.com (Example)</webMaster>
<item>
<title>Example Feed Title</title>
<link>https://example.com</link>
<description><a href="octal://item?id=12345678">Open Octal</a></description>
<guid isPermaLink="false">2ple2m8</guid>
<category>Example</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:54:19 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>The feed text is just an HTML link that uses the octal:// URI scheme to open the Octal application:
<a href="octal://item?id=12345678">Open Octal</a>As of now, clicking the link on macOS works perfectly; however, it does not work on iOS (if I tap the link, nothing happens).
Is it possible to allow iOS to open custom URI schemes as well?
Reacted by Tsung-Han Yu
Activity
ollicle commentedon Dec 11, 2025
Piling in here to note that
netnewswire://theme/adddoesn’t work in NetNewsWire on iOS.brentsimmons commentedon Dec 19, 2025
I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not. (Could be security issue.) Research required.
stuartbreckenridge commentedon Feb 3, 2026
@brentsimmons I think this is OK to implement. It's no different that Safari saying ok a netnewswire URL (for example).
johan456789 commentedon Feb 15, 2026
Security concern is exactly why iOS shows a prompt before jumping to another app. This is also Safari's behavior.
mvanhorn commentedon Nov 7, 2026
The iOS article web view only handed a small allowlist of schemes to the system opener. Custom-scheme taps continued as WKWebView navigation, which cannot launch another app, so the tap had no effect.
Custom-scheme URLs are now opened with UIApplication.open so iOS can prompt and switch apps. http, https, mailto, tel, javascript, data, file, about, blob, and vbscript stay on the existing web and system handlers, and internal article image schemes remain excluded.
#5539