Linking.getInitialUrl() always returning null on Android

[hesyifei]

🐛 Bug Report

Summary of Issue

await Linking.getInitialUrl() always returns null on Android.

Environment - output of expo diagnostics & the platform(s) you're targeting

  Expo CLI 3.27.8 environment info:
    System:
      OS: macOS 10.15.6
      Shell: 5.7.1 - /bin/zsh
    Binaries:
      Node: 14.11.0 - /usr/local/bin/node
      Yarn: 1.22.5 - /usr/local/bin/yarn
      npm: 6.14.8 - /usr/local/bin/npm
    Managers:
      CocoaPods: 1.9.3 - /usr/local/bin/pod
    SDKs:
      iOS SDK:
        Platforms: iOS 14.0, DriverKit 19.0, macOS 10.15, tvOS 14.0, watchOS 7.0
    IDEs:
      Android Studio: 4.0 AI-193.6911.18.40.6626763
      Xcode: 12.0/12A7209 - /usr/bin/xcodebuild
    npmPackages:
      expo: ^39.0.0 => 39.0.2
      react: 16.13.1 => 16.13.1
      react-native: https://github.com/expo/react-native/archive/sdk-39.0.0.tar.gz => 0.63.2
    npmGlobalPackages:
      expo-cli: 3.27.8
    Expo Workflow: managed

Reproducible Demo

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set up deep links following the step here https://docs.expo.io/workflow/linking/#deep-links-on-android (I am sure that my deep links are set up correctly because when the app is already opened, and I opened a link, Linking.addEventListener("url", shows the correct URL on Android).
2. Add a button that alerts await Linking.getInitialURL() when on click (with import * as Linking from "expo-linking";).
3. Build the app and install it on Android.
4. Fully exit the app.
5. Click a link (deep links) that opens the app.
6. Click the button.

Expected Behavior vs Actual Behavior

Expected Behavior: On both Android and iOS, await Linking.getInitialURL() returns the link from which I opened the app.

Actual Behavior: It works correctly on iOS (await Linking.getInitialURL() returns the correct URL from which I opened the app. Additionally, it returns https://expo.io:443/... when I opened the app directly). But on Android, await Linking.getInitialURL() always returns null no matter how I opened the app.

(I'm not 100% sure, but I think await Linking.getInitialURL() worked on Android before I upgrade from SDK 38 to SDK 39 and built a new binary.)

---

This might be related to #8408. However, that issue states that

but sometimes it is not (in those cases it is null in the bare workflow and
https://expo.io:443/@stellablaze/stella-deeplinktest in the managed workflow).

However, I am using the managed workflow but the value is null.

[willadamskeane]

I am having this problem as well, and I too believe it was working in SDK 38 and no longer in 39.

[brentvatne]

@esamelson - perhaps related to expo-updates integration changes?

[chromacoma]

I can verify that Linking.getInitialUrl() is working in SDK 38, and is not working SDK 39.

[brentvatne]

resolved. more info: #10464 (comment)