Most people think about websites and apps as being two separate things. However, some websites are specially written to function pretty much like apps, and you can even install these sites as apps with their own icon. You don’t need to go through any app stores, you can install them directly from your web browser.
These kinds of special installable websites are called “web apps”. Web apps are so sophisticated nowadays, many of the apps you install from app stores are actually web apps.
The websites of Mastodon servers and other Fediverse server types such as Pixelfed, PeerTube, BookWyrm etc can be installed as web apps on your phone or tablet. Scroll down this page to see a list of the Fediverse server types that support web app installation.
Should I use app store apps or web apps?
In most cases it’s just a matter of taste!
For example, Mastodon has lots of official and third party app store apps, but many people prefer the Mastodon web app as it tends to get features before the app store apps. The web app has also been in development for longer than any other Mastodon app, so its features tend to be well-developed and mature.
However, some Fediverse server types (such as BookWyrm for example) don’t have app store apps at all yet, so the web apps are their only app.
How to install web apps on Android phones and tablets:
- Open your Android phone or tablet’s web browser and go to your server’s website
- Log into your account on your server’s website
- Open the browser’s options menu (usually ︙ in top right corner of screen)
- Click on Install app
- It will ask for confirmation of the installation, click Install
- An icon will appear on your home screen, click on this and log into your account
If the Install option isn’t visible, make sure you have logged into your account on your server’s website on the same browser. Android may not let you install the web app if you aren’t logged in.
How to install web apps on iPhone and iPad:
- Open the Safari web browser and go to your server’s website
- Click the Share icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a box with an arrow pointing upwards)
- Scroll down through the options and click on Add to Home Screen
- Give the name you want for the icon and confirm the installation by clicking on Add
- An icon will appear on your home screen, click on this and log into your account
Do I get notifications for web apps? How do I control the notifications?
Yes, web apps nowadays support notifications.
Once you’ve installed the web app and you’ve logged in, your phone or tablet may ask if it’s okay to show notifications for the web app, if you want notifications you should say yes to this. You can also set notifications for the web app in your phone or tablet’s notifications settings section.
Which Fediverse server types can be installed as web apps?
You can install web apps for most Fediverse server types including:
BookWyrm
Friendica
Funkwhale
Mastodon
Mobilizon
OwnCast
PeerTube
Pixelfed
WriteFreely
Help! How do I go back without a back button?
Some web apps include a back button within their interface, but not all of them. If they don’t, you can usually go backwards or forwards by swiping the screen left or right.
Isn’t this just a bookmark? What’s the point of this?
Web apps have some significant differences to bookmarks:
- Web apps let you have app notifications, which bookmarks do not.
- Web apps work separately from your browser and hide the browser’s interface, with the web app’s own interface taking up the full screen. This makes it much easier to view stuff as there’s no second interface taking up room.
- You don’t need to open or close your web browser to use web apps because they are working separately. You can close your browser without closing the web app, or close the web app without closing the browser.
- Installation won’t work for all websites, it will only work for those specifically desgined to be web apps. If you try to install non-app websites on your home screen, either the installation option will just not be there, or they will produce an icon but that icon will just open the site in a web browser exactly like a bookmark.
At a technical level web apps are working through browser technology, but in practice using a web app is pretty much like using an app. As noted above, many of the apps in app stores are actually web apps behind the scenes.
By adding web apps to your home screen, it means you can install Fediverse platforms that aren’t on app stores yet (such as Pixelfed or BookWyrm). Even on platforms that do have separate apps, such as Mastodon, many people prefer the web interface so they use the web app.
My iPhone/iPad calls these bookmarks?
Parts of the iPhone/iPad interface do refer to web apps as bookmarks, but web apps behave differently to bookmarks. Normal websites open in the browser just like bookmarks with the browser controls visible, but installed web apps hide the browser controls and the entire screen is devoted to the web app. Also, web apps are opened separately from the browser, so if you close your browser the web app stays open (and vice versa).
(Added to this, it’s important to bear in mind that Apple gets zero income from web apps while it gets lots of money from App Store apps. This gives Apple a massive financial incentive to try to sideline/hide/downplay web apps, even if they are really good.)
What are Progressive Web Apps / PWAs? What are Web Clients?
You might hear web apps referred to as “Progressive Web Apps” or “PWAs” or “Web Clients”. These are all pretty much just different names for web apps.
Why aren’t web apps more widely known about?
Because web apps can be installed very easily by the user without an app store, the owners of app stores like Apple and Google receive zero income from web apps. It’s also a lot harder to steal people’s data if they install web apps instead of app store apps.
This lack of money or surveillance data means large corporations don’t really want people to install web apps, so they downplay and sideline web apps whenever possible. However, web apps do exist and lots of people do prefer them to app store apps.