What is a PWA > progressive web app?
A progressive web app (PWA) is an app that's built using web platform technologies, but that provides a user experience like that of a platform-specific app.
Traditionally, websites are less like "something the user has" and more like "somewhere the user visits". Typically, a website: does not have a presence on the user's device when the user is not accessing it, can only be accessed by the user opening the browser and navigating to the site
PWAs Turn Websites Into Apps: Here's How
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-use-progressive-web-apps
Firefox, doesn’t support PWAs on the desktop, though it does on Android
FTR
i use PWAs for CoSo on both laptop and android
so, if i wanted to push CoSo notifications on my android i can by enabling it and toggle it on
tip: my mobile PWAs though don't work in background since i always have the browser i use "enable usage of mobile background data" toggled off < which you can do for any app
like i said using PWAs can give you extra layers of protection and security < especially now FireFox add-ons on android are gonna get better
if you own a website and want to then get quick easy presence on google's #Android app store
it is easy to turn your site PWA into an APK by using tools like this appmaker PWA to APK
https://appmaker.xyz/pwa-to-apk
there are loads of online tools available to help you create a APK from a PWA >> You will be asked to verify ownership of the website << so choose wisely what tool/service you wanna use
This tool creates an Android Studio project from your Progressive Web Application (PWA).
The usage is fairly simple, it uses official Google example as a base and replaces values and images fetched from your PWA site.
After running this tool you should be able to open the newly created project in Android Studio and make any modifications you want.
Bubblewrap will build a PWA / TWA into APK. Install:
https://github.com/GoogleChromeLabs/bubblewrap
This was one of the last tools i actually used after reading this back in 2021
https://fedi.dev/gytis/convert-progressive-web-app-pwa-to-android-app-apk
can't believe it has been so long since i tinkered with this type-a stuff ...... tinkering update needed methinks 😆
@ecksmc I have to mention one feature of them that I dislike: the required connectivity.
There are many times when I want to use an app because I'm in a dead zone. This kind of app doesn't work then either. I think most end users are conditioned to think that an installed app doesn't need or shouldn't need as much web connectivity to function. Otherwise we would just visit a site directly.
So, as a step towards creating an independent app, I fully support these, but they must not stop there.
@ecksmc
Thanks for posting that. It made me study PWA architecture.
@ecksmc
My brain is jelly and I'm heading to bed, but got to talk with you about this soon! I'll read the articles you posted, get ready for questions. 😉
I'm looking for a relatively quick and simple way to create an app for DemCast (political activist group). App functionality will be relatively simple (at first), but installation etc must be idiot-proof.
I actually wrote an article about PWAs several years ago, they were just starting to nudge the back of my brain.
Thanks for the info!
i'm no expert btw just tinkered about but if i can answer anything you ask i obvs will > just keep in mind the "not an expert" thing
😅
Jack of all trades, master of none
@ecksmc
Much appreciated, bro! Same here, duct tape wizard. 😂
and is highly dependent on network connectivity.
Progressive web apps combine the best features of traditional websites and platform-specific apps.
PWAs have the benefits of websites, including:
PWAs are developed using standard web platform technologies, so they can run on multiple operating systems and device classes from a single codebase.
PWAs can be accessed directly from the web.
more here:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/Guides/What_is_a_progressive_web_app
#Browsers