The smartphone has over 1 billion active users worldwide and markets over 2.5 million apps. Mobile smart devices have changed the way we work. A survey conducted by Bank of America in the United States that 91% say their smartphone is very important, and for 60%, it is more important than their daily coffee. The app development industry has gained momentum with a growing number of smartphones and apps. One of them is progressive web app development company, which entrepreneurs are adopting for their businesses.
What is a progressive web app?
Progressive web apps (PWA) provide an alternative approach, thereby improving the cross-platform performance of apps on the web and mobile. PWA employs a service worker to manage, caching, and storing requests for shell data in the cache. Compared to native apps, they use much less storage space on the user’s device. There are many ways to improve the user experience with your PWA. Through progressive web app development, you can create an attractive app with a better user experience.
Advantage of progressive web apps-
Accessibility
: A major advantage of PWA is that they are independent of the App Store. Many smartphone users delete apps due to lack of storage space; this freedom can be a major advantage. In addition, customers do not need to download PWA and use a lot of space.
Cheap and fast development
: PWA is cheap, fast, and easy to develop than native apps. Developing native apps from the beginning requires specific technologies for both platforms. In the case of PWA, only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are required.
SEO optimization
: PWA has URLs that Google indexes. This means that customers can easily find PWA using search engines.
Disadvantages of progressive web apps-
Feature Restrictions
: PWA is only half the apps, so their functionality is limited. There are some features that PWA is not able to use.
No indoor geographic location-Progressive web apps cannot access Bluetooth, which is required for indoor geographic location.
Limited Web Browser Support
: all web browsers do not support PWA. Progressive web apps are Android-centric, and they do not work on Safari.
No Consumer Data –Compared to local mobile apps, PWAs generally do not have access to consumer data such as contacts and social profiles.
Limited iOS Features- with PWA, push notifications are not available to iOS users. PWA can only send push notifications to Android devices. Because of this, online store owners lose a large target audience, as iPhone users are large eCommerce consumers.
Progressive web app Vs native apps-
If your project requires open access from a single URL and you don’t have a large team of developers with cross-platform knowledge of Android and iOS, then PWA is probably the best option. If you only want a native-app experience and have a development budget, you can go with a native app.
Native apps are designed to run on specific operating systems such as Android or iOS. Therefore, developers need to use specific languages such as Java or Swift to build applications. Once created, the app must be submitted and reviewed by Google Play or the Apple Store to ensure that it meets the standards of each platform. Overall, this process can take months.
Not so in progressive web app development services as they are just extensions of your website with new web features that provide a more native-like experience. You don’t deal with the App Store, and technologies are standard for frontend developers. These requirements leverage the TLS protocol to ensure secure data transfer when the web app communicates with backend eCommerce and CMS systems. Progressive web app development companies are important for securing user information and eCommerce stores handling customer credit card information.
