HTML5 Webapp as regular icon or app on iPhone and Android.

Question

Sorry if this is a noob question, I searched quite a bit and couldn't find an answer.

I'm developing a html5 app that relies on sqlite for local storage.

I'd like for it to appear as an app icon on the iPhone/Android screen, what's the best way to do this? Ie can I write some sort of "wrapper" app to achieve it?

Thanks!

Solution 1

No need for PhoneGap or a launcher on the iPhone.

Per Apple:

<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/custom_icon.png"/>

Documentation and more fun options you can add to your web app: https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/ConfiguringWebApplications/ConfiguringWebApplications.html

Solution 2

PhoneGap is an open source wrapper for local web apps that runs on several mobile platforms. There is no reason you could not use it with hosted web pages as well.

Apple would probably reject something they deemed equivalent to a web bookmark.

Comments

[Joe Dargie]

Just to expand, users have to go to your app in Safari, and bookmark it to their home screen for this to work. But, assuming they do that, it works a treat. (On the iPhone: no idea if Android has a similar feature.)

[holografix]

Thanks mate that's what'll do for sure!

[user14322501]

Android doesn't officially support all of Apple's webkit addons, but it does work on some level, just not as smoothly as iOS currently.