Turn Any Website Into a Mobile App in Seconds

August 11, 2025

Read on Medium
  • mobile
  • mobile-app-development
  • progressive-web-app
  • productivity-hacks
  • productivity

Many people don’t know this, but you can add any website to your home screen. Any website works, but Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) specifically, will behave like real mobile apps, allowing for a seamless user experience.

I wasn’t sure if I should make this post, but many developers and users still don’t know how to take advantage of PWAs. I figured I will make this post as reference for future projects of mine that take advantage of these extended capabilities that PWAs provide.

Benefits of Using PWAs

  • No app store or downloads needed
  • Faster loading and offline support
  • Cross-platform, available anywhere a browser works
  • Looks and feels like a native mobile app
  • Take advantage of screen space
  • And more just to name a few

Demos

Note: This guide is demonstrating on Safari browser for mobile, and Chrome on desktop, but will still work with other browsers, just with slightly different steps.

How to “Add to Home Screen” on Mobile

Click the center “Share” button to open popup
Select “Add to Home Screen”
Enter the name you want the app to appear as
The website now appears as an app on your phone

This guide only applies to iOS, and Safari browsers specifically. Other browsers will work as well but instructions will vary slightly.

How to “Install Application” on Desktop

Click the icon on the right of the address bar, and select “Install”

This guide only applies to Chromium browsers currently. The icon may also vary depending on browser. Now the app will appear and act as downloadable program would. Note: this will only appear on desktop if the app is built supporting PWA.

I’ll write a full blog in the future showing how to set up PWA support in React + Vite and Next.js.

Thanks for reading! I’m a full-stack developer specializing in React, TypeScript, and Web3 technologies.

Check out more of my work at mrmendoza.dev
Find my open-source projects on GitHub
Connect with me on LinkedIn

Let me know if this article was helpful or anything you’d like to see next.

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