4 ms·

If you offer a PWA can't you just have a wee css popup with a big arrow floating at the bottom of the screen pointing out exactly how to install it?

afavour 4y ago
The instructions to install vary by device, OS version, etc. etc. It should just be equivalent to native apps. A link to an App Store URL takes the user directly to an install screen. It was clearly seen as enough of an issue that they implemented that, so there's no reason web apps can't be the same.
- recuter 4y ago
  As far as I'm aware since iOS 1 the instructions have always just been "click share button => Add to home screen" on all of their devices.
  - afavour 4y ago
    If you think the bulk of users even know what "share icon" is you're kidding yourself. If you think they find that modal window intuitive you're kidding yourself. Even then, you're sharing... to the home screen? "Share to the Home Screen" is not the way anyone thinks about installing an app. The whole concept is a mess.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - recuter 4y ago
      I don't.. that's why I asked if a giant " click here" floating thingie might help. (HN strips them out: https://emojipedia.org/white-down-pointing-index-dark-skin-tone/ https://emojipedia.org/white-down-pointing-index-dark-skin-t...)
      - afavour 4y ago
        That's what I'm saying about device variation: that downward pointing arrow would be incorrect on an iPad because the share button is in the top right. Exactly how far from the right depends on OS version, whether the screen is portrait or landscape, whether you have a larger text size enabled in accessibility settings... And _all_ of this is ignoring the fact that Android also exists. Half the point of using the web is to be able to do stuff cross platform, once you start sniffing user agents and screen dimensions you're creating something doomed to fail in the long term.
    - nlitened 4y ago
      So you’re saying that you’d like to send web notifications to users who aren’t “technical enough” to add a website to their home screen? Surely then they are also not technical enough to unsubscribe from these spammy popups. I am glad that Apple protects my mom from this nightmare.
      - afavour 4y ago
        How is any of this different to native apps, though?
        nlitened 4y ago
        Native apps stop spamming notifications after you delete them from home screen.
jonny_eh 4y ago
Yes, I've seen sites do this, such as https://post.news https://post.news

afavour 4y ago

The instructions to install vary by device, OS version, etc. etc. It should just be equivalent to native apps. A link to an App Store URL takes the user directly to an install screen. It was clearly seen as enough of an issue that they implemented that, so there's no reason web apps can't be the same.

recuter 4y ago
As far as I'm aware since iOS 1 the instructions have always just been "click share button => Add to home screen" on all of their devices.
- afavour 4y ago
  If you think the bulk of users even know what "share icon" is you're kidding yourself. If you think they find that modal window intuitive you're kidding yourself. Even then, you're sharing... to the home screen? "Share to the Home Screen" is not the way anyone thinks about installing an app. The whole concept is a mess.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - recuter 4y ago
    I don't.. that's why I asked if a giant " click here" floating thingie might help. (HN strips them out: https://emojipedia.org/white-down-pointing-index-dark-skin-tone/ https://emojipedia.org/white-down-pointing-index-dark-skin-t...)
    - afavour 4y ago
      That's what I'm saying about device variation: that downward pointing arrow would be incorrect on an iPad because the share button is in the top right. Exactly how far from the right depends on OS version, whether the screen is portrait or landscape, whether you have a larger text size enabled in accessibility settings... And _all_ of this is ignoring the fact that Android also exists. Half the point of using the web is to be able to do stuff cross platform, once you start sniffing user agents and screen dimensions you're creating something doomed to fail in the long term.
  - nlitened 4y ago
    So you’re saying that you’d like to send web notifications to users who aren’t “technical enough” to add a website to their home screen? Surely then they are also not technical enough to unsubscribe from these spammy popups. I am glad that Apple protects my mom from this nightmare.
    - afavour 4y ago
      How is any of this different to native apps, though?
      - nlitened 4y ago
        Native apps stop spamming notifications after you delete them from home screen.

jonny_eh 4y ago

Yes, I've seen sites do this, such as https://post.news https://post.news