Progressive Web Apps narrow the gap between the user experience in web-based and native applications. They are available in Safari on macOS and iOS, in Chrome/Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. Firefox seems to have deprecated the support recently (maybe because of their cost savings).
They are cross-platform, linkable, 1-click installable, responsive and can be made to work with poor or no connectivity.
Experience them yourself with those examples:
- YouTube
- Google Stadia
- Snapdrop
- QR Code Scanner
- Pinterest (requires log-in first)
- WordPress (requires log-in first)
Windows / macOS
With one click PWAs can be installed on the local operating system. Just clock on the little “+” symbol in your browser URL field:
Afterwards the app shows up in your Windows start menu / Mac Launcher and can be started from there:
Additionally it can be uninstalled like any other app.
iOS/Android
On iOS and Android you need to use the “Add to Home Screen option from the browsers pull-down menu.
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