Overview

This article will help you get a basic understanding of the Progressive Web App (PWA) technology as well as its benefits and its challenges.

Introduction

What is PWA?

One of the biggest emerging mobile technologies in the last several years has been Progressive Web Apps (PWA's). PWAs are an all-new user experience built into the most modern websites for the mobile-focused future. A Web App is a web-based app that users can access via their phone's browser. Web Apps are optimized for mobile devices, so they perform far better than full front-end sites. They're a great option for mobilizing existing websites and don't require any downloading.

• A Web App is not the same as a responsive website.

• A responsive website is a website that automatically changes to fit the device where the user is reading on.

• A Web App is a real app, but simply does not "live" on the phone.

• Where responsive websites came before, PWA's provide fast, reliable and engaging experiences blurring the line between native apps and the web.

• At Bizness Apps, we're always looking to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to Mobile advancements, so BiznessApps’ PWA’s provides all of the following features:

  • Push notifications.

  • Improved speeds.

  • Home screen install support.

  • Offline caching.

  • Performance improvements and more.

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The benefits of PWAs

• PWAs are immediately updated.

• PWAs take up less space on the user's devices.

• Progressive Web Apps will work in areas of low connectivity and certain characteristics will be cached for accessibility offline. However, similar to native applications, the internet is necessary for dynamic content.

• No developer account is required to publish the PWA

• PWAs maximize the capabilities of your app. The PWA-specific improvements work on almost every browser. We have also secured the commitment from all browsers to include support.

• PWAs are fully indexable, which means they can be discovered using web search engines. This feature improves your app's searchability on the web.

• Other benefits include increased performance on poor data connections and immediate software updates

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PWA limitations

• BiznessApps provides Web Apps in an effort to reach non-iOS/Android users (Blackberry, Windows, etc.) who aren't able to install the native apps. BiznessApps’ Web Apps are accessible on any modern smartphone with internet access. 

• Native features that use the phone's built-in capabilities will not be usable through a Web App.

• Some tabs are incompatible with Web Apps. Though the user will see them in the iOS/Android apps, they won't appear in the Web App version of the app.

• Push notifications are not available on iOS devices due to Apple not including support, however, Apple lists support is currently in development.

• Apple devices are restricted to open or use the camera from a browser. For example, using the Scan QR code option from the Loyalty feature will not work

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How can users access my PWA

• One option is to redirect your business's website to your PWA. Upon publishing your PWA app, you will receive an email containing a redirect script, which you need to add to the header of the front-end site's home page. When users visit your website, they can easily bookmark the page and save it on their device's home screen.

• PWAs are even more accessible than a native app, without the hassle of the app store! You can also convert the PWA link to a scannable QR code, which you can send via email or add as a hyperlink.

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Why PWAs are better than a native app

• PWAs are a step forward from the native mobile app. They have all the benefits of a downloadable app, without the friction that comes with it.

• PWAs can be built faster at a lower cost. The price that you can sell PWAs will be determined by the value you can drive for your business rather than the cost it takes to create them. For example, PWAs can be used to increase customer loyalty and engagement, bring in new customers via easy discoverability, and make sales through the app. The end price should be the same as the value it gives.

• The only difference is that PWAs do not appear in the App Store. You could arguably say that these drive a higher return on investment because the reduced friction allows for a wider audience of people to adopt them.

• While they diverge from the traditional app store, PWA's are actually more user-friendly, easier to launch and adopt.

• Progressive Mobile Apps give the user the same experience as iOS and Android mobile apps without the added friction, download, headache, and costs.

• One of the biggest benefits is the increased discoverability. While apps can be easily lost in hustle and bustle of the iTunes app store, PWA apps can be found via web search engines.

• PWA's are linkable/shareable

• PWA’s have low data requirements

• PWA’s improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

• PWA’s do not require updates.

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Spotlight features available for PWA

• Loyalty feature is available for PWA, BiznessApps also improve the feature by including the "User Onboarding" functionality.

• Analytics for our Progressive Web Apps are already enabled and available within the Analytics section of the dashboard

• Any app the customer has built on the Bizness Apps platform already has a progressive mobile app version available! All the customer needs to do is go into publishing and publish the app for "Web App" to receive their progressive mobile app.

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Common Usage

Below we will outline some common case Scenarios that you may come across while supporting PWA related problems.

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 Related Articles

• PWA Design Looks Different on Desktop than on Previewer
• PWA content is not updated on the browser
• PWA shows URL on iOS