Apple backs off killing web apps, but the fight continues - Open Web Advocacy
Hallelujah! Apple have backed down on their petulant plan to sabatoge homescreen apps.
I’m very grateful to the Open Web Advocacy group for standing up to this bullying.
It’s Time to Build a Progressive Web App. Here’s How – The New Stack
Much as I appreciate the optimism of this evaluation, I don’t hold out much hope that people’s expectations are going to change any time soon:
Indeed, when given a choice, users will opt for the [native] app version of a platform because it’s been considered the gold standard for reliability. With progressive web apps (PWAs), that assumption is about to change.
Nonetheless, this is a level-headed look at what a progressive web app is, mercifully free of hand-waving:
- App is served through HTTPS.
- App has a web app manifest with at least one icon. (We’ll talk more about the manifest shortly.)
- App has a registered service worker with a fetch event handler. (More on this later too.)
Related links
Home Screen Advantage - Infrequently Noted
This is exactly what it looks like: a single-fingered salute to the web and web developers.
Read Alex’s thorough explanation of the current situation and then sign this open letter.
Cupertino’s not just trying to vandalise PWAs and critical re-engagement features for Safari; it’s working to prevent any browser from ever offering them on iOS. If Apple succeeds in the next two weeks, it will cement a future in which the mobile web will never be permitted to grow beyond marketing pages for native apps.
Also, remember this and don’t fall for it:
Apple apparently hopes it can convince users to blame regulators for its own choices.
Manton Reece - Apple is twisting the truth
When it benefits Apple, they take the DMA requirements much further than intended. When it doesn’t benefit them, they lean back on the “integrity” of iOS and barely comply at all.
Apple on course to break all Web Apps in EU within 20 days - Open Web Advocacy
I don’t like to assume the worst and assign vindictitive motives to people, but what Apple is doing here is hard to read as anything other than petulant and nasty …and really, really bad for users.
If you’ve ever made a progressive web app, please fill in this survey.
People do use Add to Home Screen – Firefox UX
Oh no! My claim has been refuted by a rigourous scientific study of …checks notes… ten people.
Be right back: just need to chat with eleven people.
Related posts
Rotten Apple
Apple are planning to kill mobile web apps. This is not an exaggeration. We must stop them.
Push
Mobile Safari finally ships the feature we’ve all been waiting for …but hardly anyone is going to get to use it.
A bug with progressive web apps on iOS
Opening an external link in a web view appears to trigger a reload of the parent page without credentials.
Safari 15
What’s coming in the next version of Safari …and what isn’t.
Backdoor Service Workers
The tragedy of the iframe commons.