Answer

Do PWAs need App Store approval?

Short answer

No. A PWA installs directly from the browser, so it never passes through Apple App Review or Google Play review. You publish changes by deploying your website, and users get them on the next launch. Review only applies if you deliberately package the PWA into a store listing.

By InstantPWA engineering·Reviewed July 25, 2026

Why there is no review

The install comes from the browser, not a store: on iOS the user taps Share then Add to Home Screen, and on Chromium the browser offers an install prompt. Neither path involves a store submission.

Updates ship instantly

Because the app is your website, a deploy is the update. There is no binary to resubmit and no waiting for approval before users see a fix.

When review does apply

If you package the PWA with a wrapper such as PWABuilder or Trusted Web Activity to get a store listing, the normal Apple and Google review processes, developer accounts and annual fees apply again.

Sources

Are PWAs in the App Store?

PWAs are not in the App Store or Play Store by default — they install directly from the browser. If you want store presence, PWABuilder (from Microsoft) packages a PWA into a Trusted Web Activity for Google Play, an MSIX for Microsoft Store, and a WKWebView wrapper you can submit to Apple.

What is a Trusted Web Activity?

A Trusted Web Activity (TWA) is Google’s official way to package a PWA as a full-screen Chrome Custom Tab inside a thin native Android shell, so it can be distributed through the Google Play Store while still rendering as your existing web app with no separate native codebase.

What is a PWA?

A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a regular website that meets three technical criteria — HTTPS, a Web App Manifest and a service worker — so browsers let visitors install it on their home screen. Once installed, it launches like a native app, works offline and can send push notifications.

Can a PWA send push notifications on iOS?

Yes. Since iOS 16.4 (March 2023), a PWA can send Web Push notifications on iPhone and iPad — but only after the user installs it to the home screen. Push in a regular Safari tab is not supported, and the user must explicitly grant notification permission from inside the installed PWA.

Do PWAs work offline?

PWAs can work offline, but only for content their service worker has explicitly cached. Registering a service worker does not automatically make a site offline-capable — you decide what to cache (app shell, API responses, images) and what strategy to use (cache-first, network-first, stale-while-revalidate).