I've noticed that after upgrading to Android 13 (and now 14 and 15), the way Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) install has changed. In Android 12 and earlier, when a user clicked 'install,' it would directly install the app without the user knowing if it was a native app or PWA. However, in the newer versions, when you click 'install,' a second prompt appears asking to 'add to Home screen,' which is manageable but ends up putting a little Chrome icon in the bottom right. I've tested this across various smartphone brands and encountered the same issue. Is there any way to fix this?
5 Answers
I've got a Samsung running Android 12, and I notice a Chrome icon in the notification bar whenever I open my PWA. It feels like there's a noticeable difference between native apps and PWAs even on Android 12, so it could be a Samsung-specific issue.
They seem to be following Apple's lead by limiting PWAs and pushing users toward paying for native apps.
Really?! That sounds odd.
I think this might be specific to Samsung phones because I'm on Android 15, and my PWA doesn't show a Chrome icon at all. It's possible you might be adding a bookmark instead of the proper PWA. I tested it with https://devdocs.io, and it installed fine in the app drawer without any icon.
Let me double-check on my Samsung. I really hope this is just my issue!
Could there be an issue with your manifest file? I typically only see the Chrome icon for regular shortcuts, not for PWAs marked with display: standalone.
Does the shortcut icon actually depend on the display property?
Have you tested on later versions? For me, it didn't work on any Android version beyond 12.