iOS system hangs before opening App Store URL

As there is no proper documentation on how it works, it is hard to pinpoint the cause of it.

Let me advance a theory.

• Opening an app from browser causes a context switch; indeed from browser to App Store. So for the very first time it'd cost some time, while in subsequent times it will open faster as it will get opened from cache.

• If you consider AppStore uses Keep-alive connection between iOS AppStore in device and iOS AppStore Server for the first time socket opening in server would seem higher than the subsequent times as subsequent request would reuse the same connection.

• If the app is removed from the cache then it'd again take some time for the app to open and there would be a little network delay as the app would have lost the cookie for keep-alive connection then the app would have to endure the socketing opening cost.

• There are also other factors like Safari hanging, resulting in some delay. You can read how Safari can be messed up here.

• iOS doesn't have garbage collection, only things like ARC (Automatic Reference Counting). Each has its own advantages and drawbacks. Sometimes these drawbacks can surface and cause some problem; nothing is to be ruled out. For example a memory leak or app-crash might leave dangling pointers.

• Technically, using itms-apps should give a little advantage over plain iTunes url because itms-apps should narrow down the search; itms-apps mean iTunes Music Store-apps.A plain iTunes URL may be a Book (iBook), Music (iTunes), App (Appstore), etc ... so iOS might have to decide which app to launch.

I hope this helps.