Why Progressive Web Apps Are the Evolution of Responsive Websites

If you are a smartphone owner, you would agree that you spend a major part of your working hours switching between a variety of apps. From ordering a ride to your workplace using a cab aggregator app to ordering brunch using a food delivery app to perhaps even sending flowers & chocolates to someone you love! There is an app for almost every product or service that you can think of.

Have you ever imagine about what the future like hold for responsive apps? You're right to wonder! PWA or Progressive Web Apps are the next big step in the development of mobile responsive web apps.

In the blog that comes next, we'll explore the world of progressive web apps development & explain why businesses should think about investing in them discuss the challenges and advantages & compare PWA with responsive websites and native mobile apps. 

Let's start by Knowing the idea behind creating progressive web apps.

What Are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)?

It is more of a notion than a technology in itself; in short, it uses the strength of additional features like web app manifests, push notifications, offline support, and service workers in an already existing mobile responsive web page/web app. Thus, a PWA gives the feel of a native app while being accessible through web browsers to the user.

It can be used through a web browser or a mobile phone & works even when it is offline or in a region with a poor network connection without requiring any updates. Wondering how this is possible? Well a progressive web app is always updated because of a service worker. Therefore, a service worker is essentially a script that runs in the background and assists in synchronizing data as well as showing push notifications that can be placed on a user’s home screen.

Features of a progressive web app

The following are the features of a PWA or Progressive Web App;

    • Responsive UI design: Although this is a given it is important to explain it. PWAs can be designed to work on multiple screens such as tablets desktop computers & smartphones.

    • Independence from connectivity: By using service workers the app can work offline & reconnect to the network when it is available. 

    • App UX similar to Native apps: Although not native apps, their UX is very similar and at times cannot be distinguished from a native app by using service workers.

    • Linkable: The best part about these apps is that these apps can be shared directly on social media sites and can be searched using search engines through a simple URL. Hence, there is no need to list these apps on the app store as users can share apps with each other.

    • Installable: Along with accessibility, the installability of these apps is also cross-platform. Users can install apps on browsers by using shortcut icons for the app URL.

Another cool and profitable feature of PWAs is their reliability, which enables them to function even in a poor network or no network zone. A PWA provides speed and reliability even when there is no network because of service workers that have the ability to prefetch resources. 

Why should businesses consider switching to PWAs?

As people get tired of too many apps, it's important to offer better user interfaces and experiences that go beyond just regular websites. These experiences should load quickly and work well on any device. This is the advantage you get by switching to PWA.

    • Super fast loading: According to a recent Google presentation PWAs have a median load time of less than one second making them four times faster & using ten times less data. So devices that use PWAs can load quickly while still providing a top quality app experience.

    • Cost effective: When businesses invest in creating a top quality web application that can work on various devices and platforms they save both time and money by not having to develop separate apps for each device.

    • Easy to Finding: PWA is simple because they are built on the web, so companies using PWAs are easier to find online and appear more often in search results.

As things improve, new challenges also come up, and let's look at those too!

Existing challenges for PWAs

Even so there are many advantages to building a progressive web app there are also some difficulties to consider. It is important to Know these challenges so you can decide if a PWA is the right choice for your project.

    • One thing to note is the limited traffic in app stores. Although this issue might improve as PWAs become more popular they aren't treated the same way as regular apps in the Apple App Store. To add a PWA to an iOS device, you have to tap twice to add it to the home screen while on Windows & Android it only takes one tap.

    • Some important features aren't available on all devices. Even though the web platform has improved certain features still don't work the same way on different devices. For example things like sensors & fingerprint identification aren't accessible yet, even though cameras and GPS can be used through PWAs. As technology gets better, more features will become available across devices.   

    • A common lack of understanding: There is still a big gap in knowing the best ways to use a PWA. People know the idea and some of its features, but there's room for improvement. Companies like the Washington Post, Tinder, and Pinterest have moved to PWAs to get better returns on their investments and more visibility for their businesses.

Comparison of Progressive Web Apps, Responsive Websites, and Native Mobile Apps

Here’s a Feature-Wise Comparison of Progressive Web Apps, Native Apps, and Responsive Websites

Conclusion

In short, it's clear that Progressive Web Apps are the next big step in web development. They offer lots of advantages like being found by search engines easy sharing or good visibility & strong security because they use HTTPS. Investing in a PWA could be one of the best choices for your business. Need help with your web development? Maxtra Technology is here to assist you!