Link Check: Short Link Preview

When an internet link arrives by text or messenger, there is no way to tell where it leads until you tap it. This app expands the link for you and shows the real destination first.

You never have to copy a link to check it. Turn on the Shortcuts automation once, and links in texts and messenger notifications are checked for you as they arrive.

■ Messages like these

· A parcel is being held because the address could not be read · A tax refund or insurance refund is waiting for you · A payment has just been approved on your card · An unpaid toll or traffic fine needs settling · Your account will be suspended unless you confirm it now

These are the wordings actually used to phish. Genuine notices arrive looking exactly the same, so reading the text will not separate them. What separates them is where the link goes.

■ What you see

· Where the shortened link ends up · How many redirects it passes through · Signals worth knowing (how recently the domain was registered, spelling close to a known brand, a destination that does not match the organisation named in the message)

When nothing turns up, it says "Nothing odd found." That does not mean the link is fine — it means nothing we check for came up.

■ How it handles impersonation

When a message claims to be from your tax office or your bank, the app checks whether the link actually belongs to that organisation. If it does not, it says so.

It does not rely on lists of already-reported addresses. Domains used for impersonation are usually days old and have not reached any list yet.

■ Notification text stays on your phone

Discovery signals