Platforms

Published 2026-06-242026-06-24By Carey Gill · Editorial process

Platforms is where the PWA promise meets reality: the same manifest and service worker behave differently on iOS/WebKit, Chrome/Android, and the desktop. Install flows, available capabilities, storage durability, and notification support all vary by engine and surface — so shipping a great PWA means designing for each platform’s feature set, not the spec in the abstract.

These entries cover what works where, and the constraints to design around.

In this section

PWAs on iOS and SafariAdd to Home Screen, standalone mode, service workers, Web Push for installed PWAs, storage limits, and WebKit constraints.

PWAs on Chrome and AndroidWebAPK packaging, beforeinstallprompt, and Trusted Web Activity for Play Store distribution.

PWAs on FirefoxWhy desktop Firefox has no manifest-driven install flow, while Firefox for Android does, and how to code around it.

Baseline support overviewWhat Baseline means, the widely-available / newly-available / limited-availability tiers, the seven tracked browsers, the 30-month window, and Baseline 2026 as the currently developing yearly cohort.

PWAs on ChromeOS (launcher, shelf, file handling)How an installed PWA integrates into ChromeOS — appearing in the launcher and shelf like a native app, plus badging, Web Share/Share Target, and File Handling — and how to feature-detect each capability with a fallback.

PWAs on desktopHow Chrome and Edge install a PWA from the desktop URL bar, what the manifest display fallback chain gives you, and why each browser keeps its own copy.

PWAs on Microsoft Edge (sidebar, store)How Microsoft Edge installs a PWA through its browser install feature, lists PWAs in the Microsoft Store, and supports a deprecated sidebar manifest member.

PWAs on Safari for macOS (Dock apps)How web apps install and run on macOS via Safari's Add to Dock — what macOS Sonoma and Safari 17 introduced, how the manifest shapes the Dock app, what works (push, notifications), and how it differs from iOS.

PWAs on Samsung InternetHow Samsung Internet installs PWAs: the manual Add to Home screen menu and the ambient-badging plus icon triggered by a standalone or fullscreen manifest.

PWAs on WindowsHow Microsoft Edge installs a PWA on Windows and integrates it into the Taskbar, Start menu, and Alt+Tab switching, plus the FSLogix logout limitation.

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