Boyle
Software
A Beyondsoft Company

PWAs & Mobile Website Shortcuts

We at Boyle Software love helping our customers create Progressive Web Apps - PWAs. If your current mobile app does not require native mobile capabilities - the use of the device's sensors, etc. - then why are you creating expensive to build-and-mantain custom mobile apps?? A PWA can do everything you need at a fraction of the cost. Read more about how we can help you evaluate whether your company's needs can be met by a PWA...

Any mobile-friendly website - and certainly PWAs - can be accessed with an app-style icon on your phone or tablet's home screen - a shortcut to your site that looks like an app. No more spending your money on native iOS and Android apps! Be smart and strategic - and use that saved budget elsewhere.

To see how to create this app-style icon, follow the simple instructions below - and feel free to add a "Boyle Software" app icon to your home screen!

iPhone or iPad

  1. Open iOS's web browser, Safari. (Other browsers, like Firefox and Chrome, won't work for this.)

  2. Navigate to the web page - a site's homepage or a subpage within a site - that you want to save to your device's home screen. (Can we suggest trying this with https://www.boylesoftware.com ?)

  3. Tap Safari's "Share" button on the bottom of the screen - it's a square with an arrow pointing upwards out of the top.

  4. Scroll down until you see "Add to Home Screen" option - and tap it. An "Add to Home Screen" dialog box comes up.

  5. Type in a name to give the website shortcut on your home screen. You see the URL as well - confirm that this is the correct address - and the site's "favicon" that will become the "app" icon on your home screen. Click "Add" when you're have confirmed the app name and URL. You will then be taken to the new icon on your home screen.

  6. Simply tap the new "app" or shortcut and it will open the website in its own navigation window in Safari.

Note: A website "app" or shortcut can be deleted just like you would any other app on your phone.

Android

  1. Open Google Chrome. (Again, no other Android browser will work - just Chrome)

  2. Navigate to the web page - a site's homepage or a subpage within a site - that you want to save to your device's home screen. (Can we suggest trying this with https://www.boylesoftware.com ?)

  3. Tap the menu icon (the 3 dots in upper right-hand corner) and tap "Add to homescreen."

  4. Choose a name for the website shortcut and Chrome will add it to your device's home screen. So easy!