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What's the sense in publishing your PWA in the Play Store? Chrome already prompts the user if they'd like to install a PWA shortcut when you visit the site. I a

What's the sense in publishing your PWA in the Play Store? Chrome already prompts the user if they'd like to install a PWA shortcut when you visit the site. I ask because it costs $25 and while I have a lot of time on my hands I'm a cheap ass.

butz 6y ago
Discoverability. Users browsing Play Store might see your app in related apps list or in search results. And you will get a way to gather user feedback without hosting and moderating forum or discussion board. Also, we are still at the point when you tell user to download an app, one usually goes to Play/App Store, not searches the web.
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  Also Businesses which has no use for an app, can claim 'We have an app' as many like to do and now they can convert their website to a publishable app more easily.
- badsectoracula 6y ago
  > Discoverability. Users browsing Play Store might see your app in related apps list or in search results. Since when anything in Play Store (or Apple's App Store, for that matter) was discoverable? I can't find anything even remotely relevant to anything i want using these stores, i always have to use 3rd party sites (or just google something like "<something i want> for android", sometimes even adding a site:reddit.com at the side if there are too many results, just to see what others are suggesting) and then if there isn't a Play Store link, i have to write the app's name exactly in the store's search, otherwise it will never appear on the results. Discoverability has been a joke on these stores ever since they got more than about 1000 apps - and they still are designed as if they only have about 1000 apps.
judah 6y ago
> "What's the sense in publishing your PWA in the Store? We've trained a generation of users to look for apps in app stores. I blogged about this here[0], but having your PWA in app stores means more users for your app. [0]: https://debuggerdotbreak.judahgabriel.com/2018/04/13/i-built-a-pwa-and-published-it-in-3-app-stores-heres-what-i-learned/ https://debuggerdotbreak.judahgabriel.com/2018/04/13/i-built...
- yeahgoodok 6y ago
  I actually had just read this blog post prior to posting my comment. There's a lot of good insight on HOW to publish but I didn't see any compelling evidence on WHY to publish (specific traffic numbers, etc).
  - judah 6y ago
    Check out the "Why" header and several paragraphs. I talk about reasons why I published my own PWA in app stores: some technical, but the big one being that's where the users are.
burtonator 6y ago
User behavior... We have a mobile PWA and literally all our users are like "I went to the Android app store and you don't have a mobile app so you suck" ... but the app already works in the browser. Discoverability is an issue too. If your users search for your app keyword there then you're more easily found
pjmlp 6y ago
You can get access to native APIs that way, without the typical hybrid approach.

butz 6y ago

Discoverability. Users browsing Play Store might see your app in related apps list or in search results. And you will get a way to gather user feedback without hosting and moderating forum or discussion board. Also, we are still at the point when you tell user to download an app, one usually goes to Play/App Store, not searches the web.

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Also Businesses which has no use for an app, can claim 'We have an app' as many like to do and now they can convert their website to a publishable app more easily.
badsectoracula 6y ago
> Discoverability. Users browsing Play Store might see your app in related apps list or in search results. Since when anything in Play Store (or Apple's App Store, for that matter) was discoverable? I can't find anything even remotely relevant to anything i want using these stores, i always have to use 3rd party sites (or just google something like "<something i want> for android", sometimes even adding a site:reddit.com at the side if there are too many results, just to see what others are suggesting) and then if there isn't a Play Store link, i have to write the app's name exactly in the store's search, otherwise it will never appear on the results. Discoverability has been a joke on these stores ever since they got more than about 1000 apps - and they still are designed as if they only have about 1000 apps.

judah 6y ago

> "What's the sense in publishing your PWA in the Store? We've trained a generation of users to look for apps in app stores. I blogged about this here[0], but having your PWA in app stores means more users for your app. [0]: https://debuggerdotbreak.judahgabriel.com/2018/04/13/i-built-a-pwa-and-published-it-in-3-app-stores-heres-what-i-learned/ https://debuggerdotbreak.judahgabriel.com/2018/04/13/i-built...

yeahgoodok 6y ago
I actually had just read this blog post prior to posting my comment. There's a lot of good insight on HOW to publish but I didn't see any compelling evidence on WHY to publish (specific traffic numbers, etc).
- judah 6y ago
  Check out the "Why" header and several paragraphs. I talk about reasons why I published my own PWA in app stores: some technical, but the big one being that's where the users are.

burtonator 6y ago

User behavior... We have a mobile PWA and literally all our users are like "I went to the Android app store and you don't have a mobile app so you suck" ... but the app already works in the browser. Discoverability is an issue too. If your users search for your app keyword there then you're more easily found

pjmlp 6y ago

You can get access to native APIs that way, without the typical hybrid approach.