What are Progressive Web Apps?

Nowadays most of the population is familiar with the Internet. In Spain, we use more and more smartphones, to be exact, 81% of Spaniards have a smartphone. And what does this mean? Well, we have stopped using only the computer to surf the web. And that the mobile phone is gradually displacing the PC when it comes to the use of the Internet. For all these reasons, applications are part of our daily lives and we know what they are perfectly. But do you know what Progressive Web Apps are?

First of all, let’s review the different types of Apps that exist. Our phones are full of native applications, that is, those that we download from the Stores. They allow the user to have a complete experience, since they can “enter” anywhere on the device (camera, contacts…). And, on the other hand, there are web apps, which could be defined as something like a website adapted for mobile. You don’t need to download them because they are accessed through a browser, so they don’t take up space in your phone’s memory.

Progressive Web Apps: Halfway Up

Progressive Web Apps bring together the best of native apps and the best of web apps. It looks more like a native app. However, it uses the technology of web browsers. All in all, its performance is higher than the other application systems. We explain its advantages one by one:

1. Allows offline work.

It consumes much fewer resources, so the loading speed is much lower than the usual one for a website or an application. Therefore, sometimes you can even use it without the need for an Internet connection.

2. Send push notifications.

Push notifications are messages received on your mobile device that come from the server of an installed native app. Web apps don’t have this capability, while progressive web apps do, allowing you to interact with the user.

3. It doesn’t take up space.

One of the biggest disadvantages of native apps is the sometimes excessive use of device memory. Progressive web apps can be pinned to the mobile desktop as a shortcut without taking up much space.

4. The operating system doesn’t matter.

As it is a website with the appearance and functionalities of a native app, it does not matter what operating system it runs on. The browser is the key to progressive web apps, so it doesn’t matter if it’s an Android, iOS, or Windows Phone device.

5. They are cheaper.

These types of applications do not need to be hosted in the stores. So neither Google Play nor Apple will ask you for any monetary amount to have your application up and running. In addition, updates are made automatically from the server. In this way, the user can instantly enjoy the new features.

Although it seems that Progressive Web Apps are not being used too much, the truth is that they are used by quite a few internationally known companies. One of the first to switch to this type of app was the American newspaper Washington Post. Now the loading speed of your website has gone from 8 seconds to 80 milliseconds.

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