What are Web Apps?

Satish Shetty Updated by Satish Shetty

A web app converts a web page into an Android app, making it easier to find, install, and manage on mobile devices. A web app looks similar to a native app in the device home screen. When an end user launches the web app, the Chrome Browser renders the web page or web application in full screen or a smaller screen mode. Web apps are similar to web shortcuts (used in the earlier Android versions) but with more manageable application identity, including a unique package name. An IT administrator can distribute web apps through the managed Play Store and Codeproof MDM, just like native apps.

NOTE: The Google Chrome browser app is required to render web apps.

To create a web app, you must specify:

  • Title: Shown on the device, on the managed Play Store, and in the device home screen.
  • Start URL: The URL of the web application or website that the web app opens.
  • Display mode: A setting that determines how the web app is displayed on the device.
  • Icon: An (optional) icon assigned to the web app to help users identify it. Having a unique icon is strongly recommended.

Title

The web app title must be fewer than 50 characters in length. A web app's title may be shortened in the managed Play store and the device launcher, depending on the form factor of the device. Therefore, a short title that is readable on all devices is recommended.

URL

The start URL of a web app links to the page the web app opens. This is a URL of your web application or web site. From here, the user can then navigate to other URLs.

The start URL must begin with either HTTPS or HTTP. In full screen or standalone mode however, the URL must begin with HTTPS.

Display Interface

Display mode sets the Chrome browser UI elements visible to a user when a web app is opened. There are three display modes:

  • Minimal UI: The URL bar is shown at the top with the system status bar and the navigation buttons are shown at the bottom. This is the only display mode for HTTP URLs.
  • Standalone: Only the system status bar and navigation elements are visible. The URL bar is hidden.
  • Full screen: The URL bar, the system status bar, and navigation buttons are all hidden. In full screen, all navigation elements must be provided by the website interface itself

Icon

Though it is optional, a unique icon helps users identify a web app in the device home screen. An icon image should be 512 px square in .png or .jpeg format, or it may be automatically rescaled to fit these proportions. An icon image can be uploaded while creating the app.

If you don't specify an icon for a web app, Android enterprise displays the same default icon. To help users distinguish between various web apps, we strongly recommend creating easily recognizable and meaningful icons for your web apps.

What is Android Web App?

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Google Workspace and Codeproof

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