Progressive Web Apps are the latest big thing in mobile web technology. This concept was originally started by Google in 2015 and has fast gained popularity due to ease of development and superior user experience. Here is all you need to know about this hot technology.

What are Progressive Web Apps?

Progressive Web Apps are applications that are a combination of web and mobile apps. These apps can be thought of as websites built using web technologies but feel and act as apps.

Advantages of progressive web apps

These apps have the following advantages:

• They are capable of working on any device and enhance progressively by taking advantage of features available on the user’s browser and device.
• Unlike native apps which are difficult to be search on search engines, progressive web apps are easily discoverable on search engines.
• The UI can adapt to fit the device’s screen.
• They can be installed on the devices home screen.
• These apps can load even without internet connection.

Disadvantages of progressive web apps

Despite the attractive advantageous features of progressive web apps, we must keep in mind the following disadvantages before starting the development process:

• Despite a good number of features of the device that can be accessed by these apps, there are other features like calendar, camera, contacts and others that cannot be accessed.
• Cross-application login, like logging in through Facebook to a progressive web app, is not supported.
• They drain the device’s battery faster than other apps.

Popular technologies for development

There are many technologies that can be utilised to develop progressive web apps. Some popular ones are:

• React
• Polymer
• Angular
• Ionic
• Accelerated Mobile Pages

Manifest and Service Workers

The new features called Manifest and Service Workers in modern browsers allow progressive web apps to function well. Manifest is a JSON file that defines the basic parameters of the apps and how the app should appear to the users. It also defines the colors, screen orientation and fonts of the apps. Service Worker is a script run by the browser in the background, separated from the web page, to use functions not requiring a web page or user interaction. The service workers include features like background synchronisation and push notifications. In future, they could also include periodic synchronisation.

Progressive web apps or native apps – which one to choose?

Both types of apps are useful depending on the situation. Choose a PWA in the following situations:

• Need for distribution of the app to a wide user base.
• Low budget.
• Time constraint to develop the app.
• Search engine indexing is important.
• Cross-platform compatibility required.

Native apps can be used in the following situations:

• The app needs to be distributed through the app stores. As of right now, only Google Play store allows PWA but Apple store does not.
• High speed and responsiveness are crucial for the app.
• Integration with third party apps required.

Now that you have some information about progressive web apps, the next step for you would be to bring on board a trusted App Development company to help you build any kind of app – a native app or PWA. We at Acropolis can be your trusted advisors on the type of app that will be most suitable for your business, and take care of the complete development, testing, integration, implementation and maintenance of your apps. Contact us right now to have our technology experts at your service! All you need to do is have a detailed discussion with us about your needs, and upon your approval of our recommended solutions, we will deliver quality apps that will help you achieve your business goals! And at affordable rates too! Even better, our services are available to businesses anywhere in the world! We cater to clients from US, UK, Australia, Germany, France and many more countries!