Added a specific page to your iPhone Home Screen but a different page opens instead? Using an X profile as an example, this guide explains what users can do and how developers can design PWA start_url behavior.
Can't find Add to Home Screen or Install in Chrome on Android? Learn the difference between shortcuts and installed web apps, plus how to check the manifest, HTTPS, icons, start_url, and other PWA settings.
I tested window.print() on an iPhone running iOS 27. Printing worked in Safari, but the same page did nothing when launched as a standalone PWA. Here is what happened with beforeprint, afterprint, and matchMedia('print').
Can one domain provide multiple PWAs? This guide explains id, start_url, and scope, then explores 1S1A, 1G1A, 1P1A, and UDA: a model where users can define the final home screen entry through URL state.
Added a page to your home screen but the PWA opens a different page or the site homepage? Learn whether the launch URL can be changed, how start_url affects launches, what to try first, and when a normal browser bookmark is the better solution.
iOS 27 can show a large blurred area at the top of a home screen PWA. CSS and status bar meta settings did not remove it, but opening and closing a drawer menu unexpectedly did. Here is the real-device experiment and fixed-panel workaround I used to reproduce the behavior.
Using start_url:"/" is perfectly valid for a site-wide PWA, but it can conflict with what users expect when they add a specific page to their home screen. Here is why the choice of launch URL deserves more thought.
Which websites are a good fit for PWA? Blogs, e-commerce, web tools, membership services, and local business sites can all benefit in different ways. The key question is simpler: does the user have a reason to return to the same URL?
A local business PWA does not have to be a full custom app. Restaurants, salons, clinics, and shops can use the home screen as a direct return path to reservations, menus, opening hours, coupons, and other pages customers use repeatedly.
Membership sites are built for repeat visits. A PWA can give users a direct home screen entry to dashboards, reservations, lessons, or account pages instead of making them start from the public homepage every time.
OJapp Tips is a technical blog documenting real-world PWA behavior, iPhone Safari quirks, home screen installation, manifest.json, Service Worker, Web App Manifest, WebClip, icon cache issues, and practical web development tips based on actual testing with iPhone, Android, and PC.
The articles are based on hands-on experiments from PWA LAB and real development experience with OJapp, Petal, and OJ-Pass. Instead of only repeating official documentation, OJapp Tips focuses on the details developers actually get stuck on.
