Google deepens Progressive Web Apps integration with Android

Improvements coming to the integration of Progressive Web Apps on Android.

Google is continually looking to empower developers with more tools to help deliver great web apps for Android users. It began back in 2015, when Google first introduced Progressive Web Apps as a feature in Chrome for Android, which allowed developers to create web apps that prompt users to add a site shortcut to their Home screen while offering features such as push notifications.

Google is ready to introduce the latest version of this experience which will start rolling out to the Chrome beta over the next few weeks. The aim is to make things much more convenient for users by improving the overall integration with the Android OS.

From the Chromium blog:

For example, Progressive Web Apps will now appear in the app drawer section of the launcher and in Android Settings, and will be able to receive incoming intents from other apps. Long presses on their notifications will also reveal the normal Android notification management controls rather than the notification management controls for Chrome.

The goal here is to get more developers invested into developing quality web apps for Chrome. Once this new version of Progressive Web Apps is fully integrated into the Chrome on Android experience, web apps added to your Home screen or app drawer will be handled by Android more like the apps found in the Google Play Store.

This move will also help to blur the line between web apps and apps downloaded from the Play Store, as Google ultimately move towards creating a harmonious experience across all types of apps within the Android experience. Also expect these new web app features to eventually make their way to all browsers available for Android.