YouTube site can now be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA) for quick access. PWAs are — in oversimplified terms — web pages that can work like apps on your phone. PWA support was earlier added for YouTube Music and YouTube TV. The support was incorporated into the main YouTube site over the past few days. Google had recently announced that it was bringing Stadia to iOS as a PWA. Google Photos was made available as a PWA back in 2018. Twitter had also launched its PWA in 2018.
As explained by Google Developers, PWAs use modern Web capabilities to deliver a user experience that is similar to using an app. Pages in browser tabs can deliver immersive, high-level apps.
In Chrome, users are prompted with a plus icon in the omnibox, to ‘Install app’ notes 9to5Google. This is different from the ‘Install’ option in the overflow menu in Google Chrome, which has been around for a while now.
After the PWA is installed, the users get a large red play logo in the app launcher to open YouTube in a window that doesn’t have the address bar among other user interface elements. The shelf pinning feature gives the users immediate access to what’s playing.
In November 2020, Google had announced that its cloud gaming service Stadia is finally coming to iOS as a PWA. In 2018, Google Photos was made available as a PWA. Twitter also launched its PWA on the Microsoft Store for mobile and desktop platforms in 2018.
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