Progressive Web App Challenges / Cons

The Progressive Web App (PWA) is a new improvement in the field of web and app development. Previously, there was a big difference between web and app solutions, but the PWA of today offers a strong mix between a website and a native mobile app. A PWA serves all devices with a single solution because the PWA can be used as a mobile app and as a website.

The question is to what extent can PWA's really compete with native apps. What makes these apps ‘progressive’ and to what extent do they differ from native apps? In this article, we give an overview of the challenges of a PWA.?

• Less access to innovations

Not all technical options, such as Bluetooth, Proximity Sensors, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Geofencing, can be applied to PWAs. This means that you are limited in the possible applications for your application. The question is whether other future innovations can also be used by PWAs.

iOS support from version 11.3 onwards, and many features became available.

• Missing Out on App Store Traffic

Although it is a benefit that PWA does not follow the long process of app downloading like native applications, they also miss out on a large chunk of users who use Apple's gadgets and who primarily search for apps on the App Store.

• Limited Browser Support

# Desktop and laptops

In a world of multifactor devices, it's challenging to know what a desktop device is anymore. Still, at least from an operating system point of view, these browsers and stores are compatible with PWA installation and offline capabilities:

## Windows 10 and 11

Google Chrome (from version 73), Microsoft Edge (from version 79), Microsoft Store

## ChromeOS

built-in Chrome browser (from version 72), Play Store (from version 85)

## macOS, Linux, and Windows 7 and 8.x

Google Chrome (from version 73), Microsoft Edge

On desktop, Safari and Firefox do not support PWA installation. They do support offline capabilities, but the experience will always start within the browser user interface. It may get fullscreen, but never a standalone window on a desktop.

# Mobile devices

Talking about mobile phones and tablets, a Progressive Web App is installable with offline capabilities using the following browsers and app stores:

## iOS and iPadOS

Safari (since iOS 11.3), AppStore (since iOS/iPadOS 14, with some limitations), Mobile Configuration for enterprise distribution.

## Android

Firefox, Google Chrome, Samsung Internet, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, Huawei Browser, Baidu, UCWeb, Play Store (from version 72 with Google Chrome installed, or browsers compatible with TWA), Galaxy Store, Managed Play iframe for enterprise distribution.

On iOS and iPadOS, PWAs are only installable if the user is using Safari. That means that users won't install PWAs if they use different browser apps, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. On both Android and iOS, users can't install PWAs from many in-app browsers, such as Facebook Mobile Browser, Instagram, Google Search App, or Gmail.

• Drains battery power

Given that they are written in complex codes, the phones have to work harder to interpret the code. That’s why PWAs consume more battery than native apps. So, users are no more worried about their battery power and may not have to download this kind of app.

P.S. There are 2 opinions, in this case, some developers claim exactly the opposite.

Fake Challenges

There are many trolls on the Internet writing about PWA's disadvantages. Their messages get shared by others, often word for word.

• Handling SEO Properly

There is a common perception that a progressive web application can be harmful to a website’s SEO. Because the app doesn’t function like a usual website in terms of page rendering, Google bots and crawlers may see the pages as empty ones without content. This is a huge issue that holds back business owners from getting a progressive web app.

The good news is that it was in past a PWA will hurt your site’s SEO.?If an experienced developer works on the app’s creation, there are loopholes for solving the problem, and they deal with dynamic rendering solutions that combine server-side rendering with client-side rendering. As a result, users get fast pages and bots and can “crawl” the pages correctly.

There are tools that allow getting server-side rendering, such as Next.js?with React.js.

In the past, there were many challenges, but over time, with the development of technology, many of them were solved. And our team is sure that the above enumeration is also will solve over time.