A Progressive Web App (PWA) is an amazing blend of a website and a mobile app.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are the next big thing on the web. They are lightweight and work like an app on all devices. They deliver an amazing user experience, help grow engagement and increase conversions.
A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a responsive website that doubles up as a mobile app. They are fast-loading web apps that work like mobile apps, without the hassle of downloading them from the app store. PWAs combine the best of the web and the best of native apps. They combine the flexibility and reach of the web with the experience of a native mobile app.
PWAs are -
Progressive : Works for every user, regardless of browser choice. As user revisits, the PWA progressively enhances and becomes more and more powerful. It loads quickly, has an app icon on the home screen, and loads in full screen mode.
Responsive : Works on devices of all sizes, be it mobile, desktop, or tablet.
App-like : Feels and works like a native app, with an immersive full-screen experience, without the need for downloading it from the app store or play store.
Fast : Works offline, loads instantly even in uncertain network conditions, and responds quickly to user interactions.
Lightweight : As no download is required, it takes up very little space on your devices.
Safe : Served via HTTPS to ensure secure delivery of content.
Linkable and Discoverable : Being website by nature, they have the reach of the web, rank on search engines, can be linked and easily shared without any complex installation.
Up-to-date : With PWAs, there is no hassle of updating the app every other day. All the updates will be handled in the background without you having to worry about it.
Your users can add the PWA to their desktop and mobile devices in no time. The devices will need -
For Android Devices
Open sitename.com in Chrome Browser and wait for a few seconds. You will see a prompt for ‘Add Site_Name to Home Screen’.
Once you click on it, another prompt for ‘Add to Home Screen’ will appear. Click on ‘Add’.
The PWA will be added to your home screen.
For desktop (Windows/Linux)
Open sitename.com in Chrome Browser.
In the address bar, click the plus sign (as indicated by the arrow in the image below)
You will see a prompt asking you to install the app. Click ‘Install’.
The application will be launched in a new window. The PWA will work like any of your native applications.
An icon for Site_Name will appear on your Desktop.
For iOS (11.3 and above)
PWAs can only be added to home screen from the Safari Browser in iOS.
Open sitename.com in Safari and click on the ‘Share’ button as given in the image.
In the Options screen, click ‘Add to Home Screen’.
On the ‘Add to Home Screen’ screen, click ‘Add’.
The PWA will be added to your home screen.
Progressive web apps are the future of the web and app technology. With Visual Stories, you can get a PWA with an AMP CMS and blogging tools that help you create content in the AMP Stories format. The PWA can be created on a subdomain of visualstories.com or on your own website without disturbing its existing structure or design.