A buzz today by @unklebonehead at https://d.buzz/#/@unklebonehead/c/14vq0x1jttfe3v39lvnclz got me to thinking. PWAs, Progressive Web Apps, are the way to go.
They look, feel, and behave like the apps on your your phone. But, they are not so-called "native" apps. They are websites. The good ones are websites that cannot be distinguished from a native app.
There are benefits to PWAs.
- They are easily updated on the fly.
- They do not need to be updated through the Google Play store or Apple App store. The process takes time and it can be a bear to get over all the hurdles.
- Since there's no app stores involved, the devs and users are not at the mercy of Google or Apple.
- They save phone memory space because they're not on the phone.
- Icons can be placed on the home screen so they look just like all apps.
I made a website a few years ago called the "Satoshi Bitcoin Converter." It's simple...converts live prices and crypto units. Then I turned it into an Android app and put it on the Play store. It can be tricky...building it, creating the apk (the file that gets downloaded to your phone), getting it on the Play store without error messages, waiting for approval, waiting for user's phones to update to the new version. Then, with a new change, doing it all again.
So, I recently went back to a web app version, effectively a PWA, in addition to the Play app. They're identical. I have my "SBC" app natively on my phone. I also have the native PWA and its icon on my phone as well. I can't tell the difference when using either. Frankly, I've grown to prefer the PEA because I can "run" if simply as a browser tab.
PWA: http://www.satoshibitcoinconverter.com
Play app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.satoshi.bitcoin.converter&hl=en_US&gl=US&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dsatoshi.bitcoin+play+store&pcampaignid=APPU_1_PbP7X4fuHIWy5gKbzI6ABA
And oh! Check the red button link at the bottom of SatoshiBitcoinBitconverter.com, I added that a couple of weeks ago!
I think I agree with you. For mobile PWA looks like it really is the way to go to get around the whole app store thing right now.
Btw, I love your converter! Its added to my home screey!
Posted via D.Buzz