Progressive Web App (PWA) functionality

App Building
1

Is Progressive Web App (PWA) functionality possible for retool apps?

2

Mostly no, but you may have to be more specific. "PWA" refers to a collection of different web technologies. We currently don't support:

  • web install to home screen (since we ship a native app, this is not necessary)
  • web push notifications (again, we ship a native app and that supports push notifications)
  • custom web app manifests (we ship a native app, and support custom whitelabelled apps as well)

So far this hasn't come up a lot, most users seem to prefer native apps. If you have a different use case that's more appropriate for PWA or a different POV I'd love to learn more.

3

@bca Of course most users prefer the native apps! Have you had a chance to look at the PWA mobile interface? :grimacing:

Apr 07, 2024 - 103936PM Retool
Apr 07, 2024 - 103936PM Retool1290×2796 139 KB

There are many reasons one may prefer a PWA to a Native app-- to list a few:

  • Management of both a web app and mobile app
  • Devices which do not support apps natively or an environment requiring permissions
  • Differences in available features / how features are implemented