Infinite redirect loop between WP and JP when accessing a private post from the app

[dvdchr]

Refs:

• p1670447671998299-slack-C014TPFLP4
• p1670486250785319-slack-C011BKNU1V5
• p1669886587680679/1669871444.707189-slack-C046L7LPV0F

Expected behavior

The infinite redirect shouldn't happen. From either app, when the app doesn't have access to the post, it should open in Safari instead.

Actual behavior

Tapping a *.wordpress.com universal link that leads to a private post that the app cannot access leads to an infinite redirect between the WordPress and Jetpack app when both are installed.

See references for more details (including video recordings).

Steps to reproduce the behavior

• Install both WordPress and Jetpack app.
• Tap any *.wordpress.com link that leads to a private site (e.g. P2) that you don't have access to.
• Observe that the app keeps redirecting between WordPress and Jetpack.

Findings

• When encountering a private post that the app couldn't access, it tries to open the URL in the browser instead. This applies to both apps since they share the same codebase.
• Both WordPress and Jetpack apps handle the same Universal Link routes. This means when one app opens a post within the *.wordpress.com domain, the other catches the intent. Hence the infinite redirect.
• Note that the scope is limited to private posts where the app user doesn't have sufficient permission to read. My assumption is that this problem mostly applies to P2 posts.

Tested on iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 16.1, WPiOS 23.1.0.1

[dvdchr]

Re-opening due to p4a5px-2Rv-p2

[dvdchr]

Update: problems raised in p4a5px-2Rv-p2 should now be addressed via #20213, and will be available starting in 21.8. I'm closing this issue for now, but feel free to reopen this if you see this still happening after 21.8.