"Add to homescreen" broken?

[the_bertrum]

I had cause to create a new "homescreen app" to a moode instance on my Pixel 6 and found that the newly created one no longer opened a fresh fullscreen chrome window with no address bars as I would expect, but instead launched the interface in a fresh tab of a standard chrome instance.  Previously created homescreen app icons still work as expected, it's just newly created ones that are mis behaving.

I've tried Chrome and Vivaldi which both are broken, and Brave, which behaves like Chrome used to.  I wonder if it's something to do with the underlying chromium version.  Anyone else find this is happening?

[TheOldPresbyope]

I had cause to create a new "homescreen app" to a moode instance on my Pixel 6 and found that the newly created one no longer opened a fresh fullscreen chrome window with no address bars as I would expect, but instead launched the interface in a fresh tab of a standard chrome instance.  Previously created homescreen app icons still work as expected, it's just newly created ones that are mis behaving.

I've tried Chrome and Vivaldi which both are broken, and Brave, which behaves like Chrome used to.  I wonder if it's something to do with the underlying chromium version.  Anyone else find this is happening?

Huh. I hadn't noticed but sure enough I'm seeing the same behavior with Firefox and Chrome. I've been religious about keeping Android and the apps on my Pixel 6a up to date. No idea when/where the change occurred.


Curiously, I can still create a Home screen icon from Firefox on my iPad and have it behave as expected. No so with other browsers (but I haven't tested extensively).

Regards,
Kent

[the_bertrum]

I'm glad it isn't just me. If Firefox is affected also, it isn't a chromium thing. Much oddness.

[Tim Curtis]

Quick test and Add to Home Screen option works with Chrome on IOS.

How do u get to the option on Android Chrome?

[the_bertrum]

Quick test and Add to Home Screen option works with Chrome on IOS.

How do u get to the option on Android Chrome?

three dot menu at the top right, select "Add to Homescreen"

[Tim Curtis]

There don't seem to be any recent reports of Android dropping support for PWA.

Remember the PR disaster when Apple did it a while ago? They ended up putting it back.

[the_bertrum]

There don't seem to be any recent reports of Android dropping support for PWA.

Remember the PR disaster when Apple did it a while ago? They ended up putting it back.

That was my first thought too, but since some browsers still work, and old shortcuts also still behave it can't be an Android level restriction.  I was suspecting that it might be the chromium base that most browsers use but Kent reports that Firefox has changed also so that rules that hypothesis out.

[ColinM]

A contrary data point - Vivaldi on Pixel 7 with Android 14 is creating and opening Homescreen links properly for me. All fully updated.

Colin

[the_bertrum]

Well fancy that!, Vivaldi is behaving itself on my Pixel 6 Android 14 now as well. Maybe Chrome will come back to us as well.