Turn your WordPress website into a Progressive Web App
SuperPWA Premium is designed to help convert a WordPress website into a Progressive Web App. Visitors using a supported mobile browser can add the website to their device home screen and return through an app-like interface. This creates a direct way for returning visitors to access your website without opening it through the browser each time.
Once pages have been visited, they can be stored locally on the user’s device through the CacheStorage API. Cached pages can remain available for reading when the user is offline. If a visitor opens a page that has not been cached, the configured offline page is displayed instead.
Website and app presentation
SuperPWA can generate a web app manifest and add it to the head of your website. From the plugin settings, you can set the application icon, choose the splash screen background color, and configure the display property. Support is also provided for maskable icons, monochrome icons, and websites installed in a WordPress sub-folder.
On supported devices and browsers, visitors can see an “Add To Home Screen” notice. After installation, the website can be opened from the device home screen and presented as a Progressive Web App, including its splash screen and configured visual settings.
Premium and PRO capabilities
The PRO version supports additional advanced features for extending the Progressive Web App experience. Available options listed for the paid version include:
- Call To Action: provide an additional prompt or action for visitors.
- Android APK App Generator: generate an Android APK app from the Progressive Web App.
- Data Analytics: add analytics capabilities to the app experience.
- Pre-Loader: add a pre-loader to the Progressive Web App.
- App Shortcuts: provide shortcuts for app access.
- QR Code Generator: generate a QR code for the Progressive Web App.
Practical workflow
After installing and activating the plugin, configure the Progressive Web App settings, add the application icon, set the splash screen color, and choose the display property. Save the settings, then visit the website from a supported mobile device. The visitor can use the “Add To Home Screen” prompt or the browser menu to install the website. Previously visited pages can then be opened from the home screen and accessed offline when cached.
Requirements and installation
Progressive Web Apps require your WordPress website to be served from a secure origin. The website must use HTTPS rather than HTTP. The browser must also support web app manifests and service workers. The source lists Google Chrome, Chrome for Android, Mozilla Firefox, and Firefox for Android among the major supported browsers, with the stated browser versions.
To install SuperPWA, open WordPress Admin > Plugins > Add New, search for “Super Progressive Web Apps,” select Install Now, and then choose Activate. Manual installation is also possible by uploading the super-progressive-web-apps folder to /wp-content/plugins/. The plugin is designed to perform a clean uninstall by removing the database entries and files it creates.
