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Answer

Do PWAs work on iPhone?

Short answer

Yes. Since iOS 16.4 (March 2023), iPhone and iPad support the full PWA feature set: install to home screen from Safari, standalone launch, offline via service worker, and Web Push notifications. The install step is manual — Safari does not show a browser prompt; users must tap Share → Add to Home Screen.

By InstantPWA engineering·Reviewed July 7, 2026

What iOS supports today

Standalone mode, service worker with full Cache Storage API, Web Push (installed PWA only), badging, notifications with actions, IndexedDB, camera and microphone.

What iOS still lacks

No beforeinstallprompt event (must use manual share sheet UI), no arbitrary background sync, no OS-level widget parity with native.

What broke in the EU (and got fixed)

In early 2024 Apple briefly removed home-screen PWAs in the EU; that was reverted in 17.4. As of 2026, EU behaviour matches the rest of the world.

Sources

Related
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.
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.
What are the requirements for the Chrome install prompt?
Chrome fires beforeinstallprompt when the site is served over HTTPS, links a valid manifest with name, start_url and 192px + 512px icons, registers a service worker with a fetch handler, and passes a user-engagement heuristic (typically one interaction and ~30 seconds of use). Any failing criterion silently blocks the prompt.
Can PWAs accept payments?
Yes. A PWA can accept payments through any standard web checkout — Stripe, PayPal, Adyen — and can also use the native Payment Request API to surface Apple Pay on iOS 16.4+ and Google Pay on Android. There is no App Store 30% cut because payments run through the web, not through a native store SDK.
Do PWAs support background sync?
Partially. Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Android WebView, Samsung Internet) support the Background Sync API for retrying failed requests, and Periodic Background Sync for scheduled updates. iOS Safari and Firefox do not support either. Fall back to Push notifications for cross-platform re-engagement.