01-19-2025, 11:17 AM
Right, I've done a bit of testing with the webmanifest. Tl;dr is it makes very little difference, probably best to live without it for now.
What follows is using moOde 9.2.2 on a Pi3A+ with https mode on using certificates issued by a local CA with Android 15 on Pixel 6.
As we have already determined, the main thing is that PWA does not work at all without a secure connection so having a functioning https mode is essential. It looks like the Firefox browser on Android ignores PWA as well, it will offer an "install" link, but the installation will still just open a tab rather than a full screen app.
Without the webmanifest in place, we have a functional PWA experience in all the browsers I tried other than Firefox. In Chrome there is an "Install Application" link in the menu, which when activated will install something indistinguishable from "real" apps. A proper moOde icon, in the app drawer, which launches a full screen standalone app with the moOde interface in it. Presumably the app is in fact an instance of Chrome. The other Chromium based browsers are a little different in that rather than a true app, we get more of a shortcut. It doesn't appear in the drawer with other apps, but is instead just present on the home screen as a moOde icon with the browser that created it in subscript over the top (see image). It still launches a standalone instance of the browser in full screen though, so it works just as well in the end. You do also get the chance to rename the shortcut before you add it to the home screen if you wish.
With the webmanifest in place, the experience is very similar except in Chrome you get a prompt to install the app as soon as you visit the moOde UI rather than having to select it from the menu, whereas in the other Chromium based browsers, you still have to select install from the menu, but now you don't get the option to rename the shortcut.
I have not experimented with other options that can be added to the webmanifest so far. There maybe things that we could use to add more value to it, I'll do some research.
What follows is using moOde 9.2.2 on a Pi3A+ with https mode on using certificates issued by a local CA with Android 15 on Pixel 6.
As we have already determined, the main thing is that PWA does not work at all without a secure connection so having a functioning https mode is essential. It looks like the Firefox browser on Android ignores PWA as well, it will offer an "install" link, but the installation will still just open a tab rather than a full screen app.
Without the webmanifest in place, we have a functional PWA experience in all the browsers I tried other than Firefox. In Chrome there is an "Install Application" link in the menu, which when activated will install something indistinguishable from "real" apps. A proper moOde icon, in the app drawer, which launches a full screen standalone app with the moOde interface in it. Presumably the app is in fact an instance of Chrome. The other Chromium based browsers are a little different in that rather than a true app, we get more of a shortcut. It doesn't appear in the drawer with other apps, but is instead just present on the home screen as a moOde icon with the browser that created it in subscript over the top (see image). It still launches a standalone instance of the browser in full screen though, so it works just as well in the end. You do also get the chance to rename the shortcut before you add it to the home screen if you wish.
With the webmanifest in place, the experience is very similar except in Chrome you get a prompt to install the app as soon as you visit the moOde UI rather than having to select it from the menu, whereas in the other Chromium based browsers, you still have to select install from the menu, but now you don't get the option to rename the shortcut.
I have not experimented with other options that can be added to the webmanifest so far. There maybe things that we could use to add more value to it, I'll do some research.
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Robert
Robert
