When it comes to technology, the innovation process is crucial and 2019 will be strategic for progressive web apps.
We all use dozens of apps every day on our mobile devices to perform any type of action: check weather forecasts, read newspapers, listen to the music and so on. Hence, the need for mobile application developers to find increasingly efficient solutions starts from here.
The progressive web apps, also called PWAs represent the new technological challenge of the year and could replace classic apps. Let’s find out what they are and what benefits they could bring.
PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS: A DEFINITION
In order to understand what we refer to when we talk about PWA we need to distinguish between native apps and web apps.
By native or classic apps we mean all those applications developed for a specific operating system. Here the distinction between Android and iOS apps, which are compatible only with the operating systems for which they are designed.
On the other hand, the web apps refer to the mobile version of a web page. In this case, users do not need to install them, but they are less efficient than a native app, which can be easily found in your smartphone.
The progressive web apps can be defined as a virtuous mix between the above-mentioned two: as the native apps, we can easily use them in our smartphone, while like the web applications they do not need to be downloaded from the app store.
PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS: ADVANTAGES
In order to understand the potential of PWAs and why they represent the new technological challenge of 2019, let’s take a look at their advantages:
- Speed: they have a higher loading speed than the web apps, resulting in an improvement in user experience;
- Responsive: they adapt to any operating system and to any device;
- Indexing: the search engine algorithm indexes them much better than native applications and web applications;
- No installation: they do not need to be downloaded from any store, so it will be easier to have them available;
- Push notifications: like a native application, PWAs allow notifications and interactions with the features of a mobile phone;
- Offline mode: downloading the site in cache allows it to be used even in with low or no internet connection;
- Constant update: they do not need to be updated separately from the website, so every time the site is updated, the WPA will also update;
- Little storage space: since no installation is required, they take up much less storage space than a native app.
Like any new technology, the progressive web apps will also undergo continuous optimization over time (for example, they are not compatible with some iOS features today), but they certainly represent the most interesting technological trend for 2019 in the field of applications.
To learn more and find out how to develop a PWA visit our section Progressive Web App.