Definition

Related applications

Short definition

related_applications is a manifest array such as [{"platform": "play", "id": "com.example.app"}] listing native app store equivalents of the PWA. The companion boolean field prefer_related_applications, when true, tells Chromium to prefer directing the user to install the native app instead of showing the web install prompt.

Reviewed August 8, 2026

Setting prefer_related_applications: true effectively opts out of the PWA install banner in favour of pointing users to the platform-specific listing referenced in related_applications, which is a deliberate choice for teams still primarily investing in a native app.

The platform field accepts known store identifiers such as "play" for Google Play or "itunes" for the Apple App Store, with id/url identifying the specific listing within that store.

related_applications alone, without prefer_related_applications: true, has no effect on install behaviour — it exists purely as metadata some platforms may surface (for example, showing a link to the "full app") without suppressing the PWA install path.

This is documented as part of the Web App Manifest spec at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Manifest/related_applications.

Related terms

categories (manifest field)

categories is an optional manifest array, for example "categories": ["shopping", "business"], drawn loosely from a W3C-maintained list of common app-store category names. It has no effect on install eligibility or on-page behaviour and is purely metadata consumed by platforms that list PWAs alongside native apps.

WebAPK

A WebAPK is a small, real Android application package that Chrome generates and signs on the fly (via a Google-run server) when a user installs a qualifying PWA on Android. It gives the installed site a genuine entry in Android Settings > Apps, its own task-switcher identity separate from Chrome, and the ability to be the registered handler for its own scope's URLs.

Web App Manifest

A Web App Manifest is a JSON file (usually manifest.webmanifest) that declares your app's name, icons, start URL, theme colour and display mode. The browser reads it to render the install prompt and the home-screen icon.

Standalone mode detection

Standalone mode detection means checking, at runtime, whether the current page is running as an installed app rather than a regular tab. On Chromium and most browsers this is window.matchMedia("(display-mode: standalone)").matches; on iOS Safari the historical equivalent is the non-standard navigator.standalone boolean, since iOS predates the display-mode media feature's adoption there.

Safari share sheet install

On iOS, installing a PWA requires the user to manually tap the Share icon in Safari's toolbar, then choose "Add to Home Screen" from the resulting menu — there is no beforeinstallprompt equivalent, no browser-generated install banner, and no way for a site to trigger this flow programmatically.

PWA install criteria

Chromium's PWA install criteria require: the site served over HTTPS; a linked Web App Manifest with at least a name (or short_name), a 192x192 and 512x512 icon, a start_url, and a display value of standalone, fullscreen, minimal-ui or a display_override entry; and a registered service worker with a fetch event handler, even a minimal pass-through one.