Add App to Homesceen

I had to delete my app off my phone and now when I bring the app back up there is no add to homescreen button.

How do I create a button so that users can add the app to the home screen or add the app to their phone?

Are you on Android or iOS?

What do you mean by “bring the app back up”?

I am on Android.

I mean I need to be able to install the app again. This seams like it should be a very basic feature of the app.

What browser did you try it on? Can we have some screenshots and the link to your app?

Have you read this discussion? Not sure if it will help or not? "Add to home screen button" not popping up

So the problem is that once a user dismisses the ‘install app’ pop up, there is no way to install it again. Correct?

Although browsers have the option of installing on the home screen, you can also clear your browser’s browsing history / cache, and run the application again and the pou-pap will appear.

I think we are all missing the whole point. There needs to be a function on the app to install the app. I’m not going to ask my users, potential customers to clear their browsing history/cache, and run the app again.

This seems like a very basic feature that is completely missing from the application. Once you dismiss the install, there is no way to install it again without jumping through hoops which my customers will not do.

The browser menu --> Add to homescreen should work. I don’t know if there is an option to make a dismissed popup reappear. That’s probably more of a function with chrome or safari and PWA’s instead of a feature that can be built in to Glide, but m not 100% sure.

Still missing the point…

That is only adding a shortcut to the browser on the home screen. (Not the same thing) And a lot of users do not know how to do that unless prompted with a pop up.

For a company that allows users to create app, I would think they would make it easy for users to “install” that app. I don’t get it. Am I missing something?

I get the point, but if things are working correctly, “Add to Homescreen” installs the app, just like the popup. Is the issue that it’s not being recognized as a PWA? What did you change to warrant the uninstall in the first place?

The only reason I ask is because there have been issues in the past with the manifest getting messed up if something changes within the app. I don’t recall or quite know if there was a proper resolution to those past issues.

I just want to make sure we are focusing on the correct problem.

Also, can you confirm which browser you are using?

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I’m sorry if I’m coming off aggressive. I don’t mean to be, I’m just frustrated by this lack of functionality with an issue that I think is paramount in creating an app.

The point is not that the install app does not appear on the home screen in a particular browser, the point is there is no way to add it again if dismissed the first time. Or if installed and deleted. I installed it, but had to delete it because I had to change the logo and wanted to see how it would look on the app button.

But now there is no way for me to install the app again. If I have users that are just getting to know the app, there are not going to want to install it right away so most likely they will delete it. Once they start to use the app they may want to install it later but there appears no way to do this.

I don’t understand why, like the share button in the menu, there is not an install button here…

Then that means there is a possibility manifest problem. Either way, you should be seeing the Add to Homescreen in the chrome menu. If it’s a PWA, it will install the app. If it’s not a PWA, it will only add a bookmark to the Homescreen. Are you saying that it’s adding a bookmark with the chrome logo? Or do you not see the add to Homescreen option at all?

Again, please confirm the browser you are using.

Since there is no button to install the app, you could include instructions to install the app in place of a button.

Here’s one you could use:

What is a PWA?

I’m using Chrome, Edge, & Firefox on an Android. I don’t care about the add to home screen button in the browser menu. That is not the concern and it is not the issue. That adds a bookmark. It does not add the app.

Can you tell me what is the difference between hitting the add to home screen pop up in the app, and add to the home screen I the browser’s menu?

And no. Inserting a video into the app to educate users on how to install the app will not work. Thank you for the suggestion.

PWA = Progressive Web App. That’s what glide apps are. Progressive Web Apps are installable web apps that run through the browser on the back end of it. That’s why it’s critical to be trying to install through the correct browser.

Firstly, only Chrome on Android and Safari on IOS are the only browsers that support PWA’s and the installation of them to the OS. Possibly a couple of desktop browsers as well. Since you are using Android. I’m just trying to make sure you are using Chrome and not some other browser. This can be a large part of the issue if you are not using the correct browser.

There is no fundamental difference between hitting the add to homescreen on the popup vs hitting the add to homescreen through the browser’s menu. If the app is being properly recognized as a PWA and the browser supports it, the app will be installed. The only difference would be if the app is not a PWA, then the popup will not show and the Add to Homescreen option in the menu will only add the icon to the homescreen with an inset chrome icon (in the case of android).

Again, I’m just trying to make sure there isn’t a deeper issue here.

https://docs.glideapps.com/all/etc/faq/system-requirements#browser-requirements-apps

Having a PWA is an added value for any user as @Jeff_Hager presented the power if it and easily added via any browser and preferable Chrome on desktop or Safari on both mobile OS

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Okay, please tell me if I’m right. I want to make sure I’m understanding correctly.

What I wasn’t understanding before was that the ‘add the home screen’ button isn’t created by glide, it’s put there by the browser. Is this correct?

I don’t know all of the in’s and out’s of how PWA’s work, but yes, the way I understand it is the Add to Homescreen popup is triggered by the browser if the app is structured as PWA. From what I’ve read, once a user accepts or dismisses the popup, the browser remember’s that within the browser cache and will not reissue the popup. Also, from what I’ve read, there isn’t any way for glide to re-trigger the popup.

That is why it was mentioned earlier to clear your browser cache as a way to get the popup to show up again. As an alternative, the user can install the app by opening the browser menu and tapping on Add to Homescreen, but it’s imperitive that the user is using chrome on android or safari on IOS as those are the only mobile browsers that fully support PWA installation.

If the popup doesn’t appear on a fresh install on a new device, or after the proper clearing of the cache, then that might indicate an issue with the app that’s not allowing it to be recognized as a Progressive Web App.

Here’s some additonal reading on the subject:

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@Jeff_Hager is on the money here.

@Brian_Rosenstein: these limitations are relatively known for PWAs so you DO need to provide user onboarding advice and workarounds. The support for PWAs is iterating in a positive manner with rolling developments on both Android and IOS.

Congrats though, you don’t have to deal with any pesky app coding, pesky frameworks and app stores.

As an aside, I just tested my apps on IOS / Safari and even after dismissing and then refreshing the page I am getting the install to homescreen prompt… which is good.

I suspect this is a relatively recent development but maaaybe this is limited to Chrome / Android limitations now… so a little bit less of a problem for your potential customers. :+1:

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I know this is an old thread but I have just encountered a problem
IOS
I have put a button with a link to the new version on the current app - advising my users that there is a new version and pressing the button goes to the URL of the new version

It works EXCEPT is does not bring up the info about adding to home screen,

I have also tried with action text and same result

HOWEVER If I send an email with the URL, then it works.

Any ideas ?