I have been asked to make an iOS / Android app that simply opens a website on full screen.
I have told them that, by using the iOS / Android native option to "Add to Homescreen" would accomplish the needs, but they insist on making it completelly automatic for the end-user.
Am I doomed to make both Apps for this need? Is there any way to "automatically create" or "share" an already created homescreen shortcut?
Thanks for your time.
Yes, you are doomed to make two apps, but you can start with a cross platform framework that can output to both platforms, allowing you to write it once. From how you describe this project I recommend starting with Cordova.
As maddy points out in the comment, an app that simply displays a website will be rejected by Apple. Yet if you encapsulate them website inside Cordova app, where the app need not access the website, or only access a website for updated information you will probably be approved.
Related
I have couple questions about generating PWA App. Maybe at the first step I explain something about app for better understanding my problems with generating app for multiplatforms.
Multi Tenancy App
I can't say much more about application. This is application where users can create own account. Accounts is separated at servers, eg. app1, app2, app3 etc. Every server has his own domain, eg. app1.example.com etc. Every user can upgrade his account to premium type and define own domain, which can be go on and login to his account without using global domains (here is a problem with PWA app, multi domains). I think it is everything what you need to know, if you need more specific info, give me a feedback, I will try to help you. I need to use WebView because app need access to localStorage.
My problems
Problem is with multi domains. In manifest.json configuration is possible to define one domain, which app will be use to display application and authorize it (with assetlinks.json) to don't display URL Bar (for "Add to Home Screen" - with android app is possible to add wildcard).
I need possibility to use application with multi domains (I achieve it on android - explanation in the following part of post).
Problem is too with adding application from mobile Chrome "Add to Home Screen" and on the desktop "Install app...". After redirect to other URL, URL Bar is shown.
Next problem is to compile Windows Store app from Visual Studio (explanation in the following part of post).
I need more info about compiling app for iOS and MacOS - is this possible to compile and test it without Apple devices? I tried to use pwabuilder.com, but after download MacOS package folder is empty. Maybe virtual machine could help me with that? What you recommend too use to make that application? I tested what I found in google, but it wasn't what I expect.
Installation from Chrome browser
Is possible to change user URL without showing URL Bar? Now after autorization user and redirect him on the properly his premium address url bar is showing - i don't want users to have to go on properly domain and install app from "Add to Home Screen" - they should install it from any domain and use it like Native App.
Android
Partially solved problem with subdomains for every account. It's working properly, but maybe someone has any other authorization solution where I don't need custom subdomain for authorize app.
Windows Store
I installed Visual Studio, make new application with this documentation but I getting error
Error Project must have a reference to an application. Please add a reference under the 'Applications' node in the Solution Explorer.
Here is an issue - Maybe problem is with newest version of Visual Studio? Next question is, even if I compile the App, what with multi domain - URL Bar will be visible when user will be redirected? What if Chrome don't be installed?
iOS and MacOS
Maybe someone has good documentation how to create apps on this platform and where can I test it? What with multi domain? URL Bar will be shown? Is possible to make it invisible like an Android App eg. wildcard or other solution?
My questions
How to create PWA app for iOS and MacOS. Maybe is nice documentation for it.
How to build application for Windows Store. I made app with Microsoft documentation, but it doesn't work - problem was open on GitHub Issue, but without solution.
Is possible to use multi domains and don't show URL Bar for applications installed from mobile Chrome like a "Add to Home" or desktop Chrome "Install app...".
What if Chrome don't be installed on device? Application will be working properly? I know from android 8.1 is possible to remove chrome from android. I don't know if after remove Chrome application will be working?
Thanks everyone for help and your patience, I counting on much help from you.
I'm recently building a PWA with Vue and I'm trying to find a way of making the IOS package out of It. So far I haven't done yet but for Windows, Android & MacOs are pretty easy ... There a lot of blog tutorials for that and if you don't want to go through much of coding then the PWA Builder is the best option for you.
For your 4th question if you want to run a PWA from a browser the browser you have must support standalone desktop apps.
I wanted to try my PWA on iPhone from Chrome and couldn't because that chrome does not have the feature to pin an app to screen so I had to rely on safari only
I have a client with two mobile apps. The first APP1 is built natively using Java and Objective-C. The second APP2 has been build using Unity.
Now the client wants to add a common functionality to both APP1 and APP2. The functionality is some new promo screens with user interaction to win credits.
I was considering to propose WebViews for this, however I came across to Progressive Web Apps.
I would like to ask whether is it possible to add a PWA in existing apps by properly initializing WebViews. I guess that the answer is 'yes'. But is there any benefit (apart from the caching) from using PWA instead of common HTML pages since the mobile app is already there?
Thank you!
A PWA is nothing more than a regular HTML webpage, which has added bonus functionality. Those bonus functionality is the incredible ease of install (if not on iOS, at least), and the offline capabilities.
The offline capabilities mostly means that the app will work (for the most part), even when no internet is available.
The easy install functionality means that if you open the site on Chrome for Android, you can "install" the app directly, without going through the app store. This doesn't work properly on iOS, however.
However, at the end a PWA is still just a webpage. This means that it is not just an app for iOS, or Android. It is an actual webpage, with an URL you can surf to. Installing a PWA just takes a local copy, and displays it in such a way that it looks like a native app.
So, in your case, there is no real bonus of making a PWA. If I read correctly, you just need to add a simple HTML page to both apps, right? You can make this a website, and then use WebView to navigate to it, sure. But there is no need to make it a PWA; it will just run in the native app itself.
I have a mobile website, users user smart phone browser to access my site.
Now some users would like to have an Android App.
So is there any easy and fast way to create an Android App which will access the existing mobile website so that I can have an Android App without developing Android app?
You would have to create a "wrapper" Android App. That is a native Android App with a Main Activity that contains a WebView with JavaScript enabled and some sort of navigation controls either on the mobile website or the native app (buttons or menu) but you could bump into problems such as:
Users being stuck in a particular page with no way to navigating back or forward.
Google is now more picky with the apps and they have policies to reject or ban apps that are only wrappers or point to external websites (kind of what Apple did for iOS)
Any case, you would have to create a mobile layout for your website or a make it responsive (special CSS and JS UI/UX that fits better on mobile devices).
Another alternative is to make your website compatible with PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS (https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps/) which is basically a Web app with some special elements that allow it to receive push notifications, put a shortcut or app icon on the device's home screen, etc.
Good luck! Hope this helped!
You can use android WebView. For more details you go through the link Android Webview
the only way to do that, using WebView on your apps or you need to create manually
You can put your code into Cordova and convert it into other IDE like android studio or eclipse .
reference:
Import Cordova project in Android Studio
I want my website should act as Google play store app.
For example, go to-> hytoz
and hytoz app
Both source are same. But when I open this app, website will shown as app and after click back or close, it's asking confirm like application.
How I can make this? I'm not android person. I'm in PHP.
First of all, making Android app isn't a one click process. To make a simple Android app, you can make use of Android WebView. Since you're new to Android, I'd suggest you to take courses on basics of Android.
You've mentioned you're familiar with PHP. You can better try PhoneGap, with basics of HTML5, CSS3 and JS, you can build an app. Also, your needs like back, close can also be done with it, and moreover, it's cross platform, you can ship to other operating systems too.
Good Luck.
I have a fully-working web app that is accessible using Android's browser.
The annoying part is the url bar uses a lot of the screen. Is there a way to make this web app a native Android app? I've read that webview can be used to embed a web site within the Android App.
Unfortunately, I only know web programming languages and have no Java experience. Will I still be able to do this on my own?
You certainly will need some learning in java, you can start with reading the following :
Webview documentation
A very detailled tutorial (quite hard if you haven't any java basics)
A basic tutorial on webview usage.
Have you looked at phonegap. It comes with a standalone app with a WebView embedded in it and with native android functionality support. You just need to provide your html/javascript app to it and you're done.
You can use a web app called MIT App Inventor
and get it done in less than 10 minutes, it's very easy, intuitive and requires no programming skills at all.
all you need to do is create a new project,
drag and drop a WebViewer component, on the right set the home url,
and your done! just connect to an android phone via USB to install the app
and you can even download the .apk to your computer, sign it and publish it on Google Play