{"id":62483,"date":"2017-10-12T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acscreative.com\/?p=62483"},"modified":"2017-10-12T12:00:50","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T16:00:50","slug":"app-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acsredux.acscreativedev.com\/?p=62483","title":{"rendered":"The App is Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our team attended DC\u2019s An Event Apart this summer, a conference about the latest web design and development trends. We\u2019ve been writing about our takeaways, including accessibility<\/a>, measuring engagement<\/a>, and image optimization<\/a>. In this post, we dive into the world of progressive web apps.<\/p>\n

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Apps, as we know them, may be dead. The mobile landscape is changing, and traditional apps are being replaced by better, faster, slicker mobile websites known as progressive web apps.<\/p>\n

Jason Grigsby filled us in on the rise of this technology during his presentation, \u201cThe Case for Progressive Web Apps,\u201d at An Event Apart. Our Creative Director Rob Smelik also wrote about this topic on his website<\/a>. Here\u2019s an introductory look at this emerging trend.<\/p>\n

Why are native apps going away?<\/h3>\n

Whenever you download a game like Candy Crush from the app store, you are adding a native app to your smartphone. These apps are developed by specialists who know the ins and outs of Apple and other native app hosts.<\/p>\n

The time, effort and costs of native app development are some of the reasons progressive web apps are becoming more popular. As Rob puts it, \u201cWith the growing number of mobile OS platforms and the cost associated with developing apps for each, it comes as no surprise that mainstream companies are jumping ship to more cost effective web-based alternatives that rely on the flexibility of responsive website design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responsive websites have improved over the last few years. In 2015, Google changed its infamous algorithm to favor responsive websites, which perform well on any desktop, mobile or tablet device.<\/p>\n

Rob explained that Google\u2019s change led to many companies to invest in mobile-friendly sites, rather than native apps. \u201cWhy pour money into the development of multiple apps for iOS, Android and even Google\u2019s newest platform Fuchsia, when you can develop one web app to cover all bases?\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

What are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)?<\/h3>\n

You may be asking, \u201cSo are these really apps, or just regular mobile websites?\u201d According to Jason Grigsby, it doesn\u2019t really matter. Whether you call them progressive web apps or responsive websites or any other name, the technology is changing the way many companies operate online.<\/p>\n

\"Progressive<\/p>\n

Like native apps, PWAs also deliver push notifications. You can add a PWA to your smartphone home screen, which is not a feature of typical mobile websites. Then, you can opt in to receive regular updates from the site, the way you would from a weather or news app. It\u2019s important to note that this PWA option isn\u2019t available on iPhones. In fact, iOS doesn\u2019t support many PWA features, at least not yet.<\/p>\n

Based on Jason\u2019s presentation, here are some other reasons PWAs stand out from other websites.<\/p>\n