Uniform resource locator application initiation

One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for initializing an uninstalled mobile device application (“mobile application”) on a mobile device upon receiving a uniform resource locator (“URL”) request that is associated with the mobile application, the method comprising:

• at the mobile device, receiving a URL request from a background application on the mobile device, wherein the URL request indicates a web address of a website to which a user of the mobile device requests the mobile device redirect, and wherein the web address in the URL request further includes an application identification portion that is associated with the uninstalled mobile application, wherein the uninstalled mobile application is not a browser;
• at the mobile device, parsing the URL request to obtain the application identification portion, wherein the application identification portion is at least a part of the URL request;
• at the mobile device, determining that there is an association between the application identification portion and the uninstalled mobile application that is configured to access an online functionality associated with a website associated with the URL request,
• A) wherein the association between the application identification portion and the uninstalled mobile application is determined by accessing an association table that lists mobile applications installed on the mobile device and that associates each of the mobile applications with respective application identification portions corresponding to URL requests,
• B) wherein each of the mobile applications is configured to access online functionality at a website identified in the corresponding URL request, and
• C) wherein the association table is dynamically updated upon registration of a new mobile application on the mobile device to include an association between the new mobile application and a respective application identification portions corresponding to a URL request;
• at the mobile device, determining that the uninstalled mobile application is uninstalled on the mobile device;
• and
• at the mobile device, upon determining that the uninstalled mobile application associated with the application identification portion is uninstalled on the mobile device, then in response to the URL request, redirecting the mobile device to an application download website that allows the user of the mobile device to download the uninstalled mobile application.

One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for dynamically updating an association table that associates an application for a mobile device (“mobile application”) to a uniform resource locator (“URL”) request, the method comprising:

• at the mobile device, receiving a registration request for an unregistered mobile application,
• A) wherein the mobile application is not a browser,
• B) wherein the mobile application is configured to access an online functionality at a web site,
• C) wherein the registration request includes an association between the mobile application and an application identification portion of the URL request, wherein the application identification portion is included in a web address of the website within the URL request, and
• D) wherein the application identification portion included in the web address identifies the online functionality that is accessible at the web address of the website via the mobile application;
• and
• at the mobile device, updating the association table that resides on the mobile device and that lists mobile applications installed on the mobile device to include the association between the mobile application and the application identification portion of the URL request,
• A) wherein the association table associates the mobile applications with respective application identification portions corresponding to URL requests,
• B) wherein each of the mobile applications is configured to access online functionality at a website identified in the corresponding URL request,
• C) wherein the association table is dynamically updated in response to the registration request to include the association between the mobile application and the application identification portion of the URL request, and
• D) wherein the association table is used to initialize the mobile application on the mobile device upon receipt by the mobile device, from a background application on the mobile device, of the URL request that includes the application identification portion that identifies the online functionality that is accessible at the address of the web site.