Answer

What is a PWA?

Short answer

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.

By InstantPWA engineering·Reviewed July 7, 2026

What makes a website a PWA

The web platform defines a PWA as any site that (1) is served over HTTPS, (2) links a valid manifest.webmanifest file describing its name, icons and display mode, and (3) registers a service worker. Any site can add these three ingredients — there is no framework requirement.

What a PWA can do that a normal website cannot

Install to home screen with a real icon, launch in a standalone window without browser chrome, work offline via cached responses, receive web push notifications, and re-engage users with badging on supported platforms.

What a PWA cannot do

Access some deep hardware APIs (NFC on iOS, background execution beyond limited quotas), and it is not distributed in the App Store or Play Store by default (though PWABuilder can package one).

Sources

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.

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.

Do PWAs work on iPhone?

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.