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Discussion on: What Does Progressive Web Apps (PWA) Development Mean? [Definition]

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bam92 profile image
Abel Lifaefi Mbula

Thanks for sharing.

I am a bit interested in the comparison you make between native, responsive, and progressive app.

First, what do you call the native app here? An app built with native technologies (java android, kotlin, swift, etc.) or any app that can be found on app stores (can be built with Ionic, flutter, react native, etc.)

Why is there red on native app, nothing on responsive concerning rapid installation? I know that we don't install a website, but a pwa is not installed at the first time unless I am wrong. How do you evaluate the rapidness?

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codicacom profile image
Codica

Dear Abel,

Thanks for your interest.

Regarding the first question, we meant native mobile apps that are available for iOS and Android platforms on the App Store and Google Play.

As for the comparison within the installation issue, we marked native apps red due to the fact that you need more time to find, download, and install such apps on the stores compared to PWAs.

The latter solution requires several clicks in a browser and provides immediate access from the home screen. This way, you need to spend only 5-10 seconds to start using a progressive web app.

You can find more information about different comparison topics in our blog article called PWAs versus native apps.

Concerning progressive apps and responsive websites, you do install the PWA to your device for the first time. Besides, websites are always accessible if you have an Internet connection, so there is no need to install them.

We hope our answer was comprehensive enough to cover the subject of discussion. In case you have more questions, feel free to provide feedback.

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bam92 profile image
Abel Lifaefi Mbula

Hello Codica,

Thank you indeed for your answers.

I can see that we have the same definition of native app. For that, I don't totally agree with you for red in native app for "cross-platform nature" and "no update required" items unless you try to explain more. There are many many native app that are cross-platform.

About PWA installation for the first time, it is not seen as best practice to force Promoting PWA Installation to the end user.

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codicacom profile image
Codica

Hi Abel,

Considering the aspect of cross-platform nature, a native app by itself cannot be cross-platform as it is built for a single specific platform like Android, iOS, or Windows. We agree that there are different native cross-platform development tools like Xamarin, Flutter, Corona, PhoneGap, and so on.

With their help, you can develop natively compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktop. For example, it means that you can build an app for Android and then use Flutter or other analogs to compile the created solution and build another native app for iOS. So, you cannot use the same source code to develop an app for all the platforms.

Regarding the issue of updates, we mean that Progressive Web Apps receive updates automatically when the Internet connection is established. So users do not need to keep in mind this issue that greatly improves their user experience. In the case of native apps, users need to visit app stores and update their applications by hand. Surely, they can set up automatic updates but this action also requires additional actions from users.

Concerning the PWA installation promotion, we can agree with you that it is not seen as best practice. However, most users do not find it intuitive and obvious to install a PWA manually. The 'Add to Homescreen' prompt is used to simplify the process and provide users with the right of option. Furthermore, there are many ways extracting the PWA installation prompt from the apps' user flow. It allows not distracting customers from using the application.

And what's your experience with PWAs, as a user? Which one is your favourite? :)

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bam92 profile image
Abel Lifaefi Mbula

Hi again,

I thank you so much for your time to comment again.

I am not sure I understand this:

So, you cannot use the same source code to develop an app for all the platforms.

The slogan for the most cross-platform toolkit is:

Write once, run anywhere.

My experience for cross-platform dev is that I use the same source code and I use the right tool to build for every platform.

I don't have much experience as a user with PWAs so I have no favourite right now.