The Google Chrome application installation prompt now has a redesign of the interface. Developers can now add a new installation card similar to play store that appears when the install button on a website is pressed.
This news comes at a good time as web apps became a viable alternative but had a rather rudimentary installation process. Currently, when the user taps the install button on Chrome’s floating menu or the bottom freebie that some sites show, a generic “Add to Home Screen” popup appears with a small preview of the app’s icon and the option to continue or cancel.
The new prompt appears as a card sliding up from the bottom, with a more appropriate “Install” button that makes it clear that web apps are similar to native apps.
In addition to the icon preview, developers can now also add a few lines of app description to the prompt, along with screenshots showing different features of the web app in question.
On desktop versions of Chrome, the installation prompt is similar, although this menu is docked in the address bar and offers “Install” and “Cancel” buttons at the bottom of the card instead of the top. The new install prompt has been in testing for some time now, and Google says it’s compatible with versions as old as Chrome 94 on mobile and Chrome 108 on desktop.
Web apps generally offer more flexible interfaces than Android apps and usually take up less space on your phone’s storage. In addition, they also offer a more flexible interface than their native counterparts, which is the case with some high-end services such as Twitter and Instagram. Both offer overly stretched interfaces on square or horizontal screens, but their web apps look good on Android and foldable tablets.
A better install experience could make apps like these more popular as developers continue to work to properly support large screens with their native Android apps.
