Introduction to Desktop PWA: How it works and its benefits

• Created : Jul, 29, 2020
• Last Updated : Apr, 23, 2024

WHAT ARE DESKTOP PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS :

We have already learned what progressive web apps are in the context of mobile applications, but as the times are changing and evolving, so do the browsers such as Chrome and Edge are coming up in the market with the PWA initiatives. Desktop PWAs show and unleash the magnetic potentials of PWAs.

You can now install the Progressive Web Apps on your desktop as you do for native apps. These PWAs are quite fast and secure in the background. PWAs on the desktop have created a revolution in the web world. You can install PWA on the desktop through the following platforms :

• Chrome Operating system. (Chrome 67 plus)
• Windows (Chrome 70 plus) and Edge 88+. 
• Linux and Mac are also supporting Desktop PWAs from version 72. 

The primary point to be noted here is these apps can be launched from the Start menu once they are installed just like the native apps, and they run similarly to other apps without the requirement of any address bar or tabs.

What are desktop PWAs exactly and why they are so important :

Desktop PWAs functions similar to that of a Google Doc, which runs by using all the web components. Contrary to that, the Native desktop applications work similarly to that of Microsoft word, which functions quite smoothly and comes up with a smaller size relatively. But what differs the desktop PWAs from the native desktop is that they do not take much of the space in the hard disk and come up with more of an engaging experience.

FEATURES OF DESKTOP PWAs :

• They are quite fast in functionalities and offer a responsive experience.
• They are easily installable, and you can easily see them on the desktop. They do not require a browser. They install quite instantly, and they are smaller in package size.
• They are quite engaging and have a higher quality of the UI designs. Irrespective of the network or device capabilities, they work great.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF DESKTOP PWA :

• Twitter is one of the prompting examples of desktop PWA. Although it got created keeping the mobile users in mind, it plays an essential role in user interactions on the desktop.
• Spotify and Pinterest are some other examples of desktop PWAs, and they provide exceptional product quality to the users. Spotify has personalized user experience, which has indefinitely increased the user experience by more than 60 percent. Similarly, Pinterest also evolved a lot of functionalities to render their mobile users a holistic experience. All they did was they shed around 500 KBs off from their javascript, which gave rise in the key performance metrics.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING PWA ON DESKTOP :

• As compared to the native apps, the size of such apps is quite small, and they run faster.
• There is no need for app updation from the users' side as the updates are handled well in the background.
• The apps fix down the bug quite quickly whenever it occurs in contrast to the native apps.
• They are reliable, and there is no need for installation.

Note: Google Chrome and Microsoft edge are the browsers that currently that is supporting progressive web apps on the desktop.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO INSTALL PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS ON DESKTOP :

There are no hard or difficult rules for installing a desktop progressive web app, but one foremost essential step that you require is to find the relevant PWA address for your app.

Now check out the steps to install progressive web apps on the desktop :

• Open the Google chrome; you can use the version 70 and above, now navigate to the https://mobile.twitter.com/home.

• Click on the plus sign on the right side of the address bar or instead click on the "install twitter" option, which you can view in the drop-down menu.

• Click on the install and launch the app from your desktop.

STEPS TO  UNINSTALL PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS ON DESKTOP :

Some users delete the desktop PWA outrightly but if you want a sure-shot way of uninstalling the desktop PWA apps, follow the following steps :

• First of all, open your desktop PWA.
• Now select the option of UNINSTALL from the drop-down menu.

• Once you click on the UNINSTALL button, you can see the REMOVE button. Click on the REMOVE button.

 Follow the above steps to uninstall the twitter PWA from the desktop in just a few steps.

CONCLUSION :

The Desktop PWA was inevitably a much-needed step for enhancing the users' experience in the context of web-app interaction and functionality. In this era of ever-changing technology, you have to embrace the competition the competitors are putting in front of you. Therefore, you have to look forward and adapt to the trends in the web or app development front.