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Let's say a user visits https://mywebapp.com and starts using a PWA.

Later down the road, the user gets prompted to install the PWA onto their device so that they may use it as a native app.

My question is: Can this process go a step further, whereby the user gets prompted a 2nd time to install more functionality that only resides inside of the native Android application (thus converting the PWA into an actual native application)?

In summary, is there a standard to go from webapp --> installed pwa on device --> native application on android / ios?

g.delgado
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2 Answers2

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Convert? No.

Progressive Web Apps on device is Javascript with a WebKit engine that looks like a native app. The features are limited to what is allowed to the browser and some mobile app features currently aren't possible, see: Is it possible to track geolocation with a service worker while PWA is not open

A true native app was written in Java/Kotlin or Objective-C/Swift and installed from app store will have access to all features on that mobile platform.

While you can have the PWA prompt the user to install a full native app, the user would have to download and install from the app store.

From within a PWA it is possible to update so that the Javascript code & assets are the latest.

Morrison Chang
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If iOS is not your concern, you can now wrap a PWA in an APK and publish it to the Google Play Store. See this medium article by Mr. Maximiliano Firtman

But I don't know of any way that can help user replace an app on the device like what you described.

cltsang
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