{"id":286048,"date":"2019-04-19T07:29:30","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T14:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/css-tricks.com\/?p=286048"},"modified":"2019-04-19T07:29:30","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T14:29:30","slug":"how-to-get-a-progressive-web-app-into-the-google-play-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/css-tricks.com\/how-to-get-a-progressive-web-app-into-the-google-play-store\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Progressive Web App into the Google Play Store"},"content":{"rendered":"

PWA (Progressive Web Apps)<\/a> have been with us for some time now. Yet, each time I try explaining it to clients, the same question pops up: “Will my users be able to install the app using app stores?” The answer has traditionally been no, but this changed with Chrome 72 which shipped a new feature called TWA (Trusted Web Activities)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Trusted Web Activities<\/strong> are a new way to integrate your web-app content such as your PWA with yourAndroid app using a protocol based on Custom Tabs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this article, I will use Netguru\u2019s<\/a> existing PWA (Wordguru<\/a>) and explain step-by-step what needs to be done to make the application available and ready to be installed straight from the Google Play app store.<\/p>\n

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Some of the things we cover here may sound silly to any Android Developers out there, but this article is written from the perspective of a front-end developer, particularly one who has never used Android Studio or created an Android Application. Also, please do note that a lot of what we’re covering here is still extremely experimental since it’s limited to Chrome 72.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Set up a Trusted Web Activity<\/h3>\n

Setting up a TWA<\/abbr> doesn\u2019t require you to write any Java code, but you will need to have Android Studio<\/a>. If you\u2019ve developed iOS or Mac software before, this is a lot like Xcode in that it provides a nice development environment designed to streamline Android development. So, grab that and meet me back here.<\/p>\n

Create a new TWA<\/abbr> project in Android Studio<\/h4>\n

Did you get Android Studio? Well, I can\u2019t actually hear or see you, so I\u2019ll assume you did. Go ahead and crack it open, then click on “Start a new Android Studio project.” From there, let\u2019s choose the “Add No Activity” option, which allows us to configure the project.<\/p>\n

The configuration is fairly straightforward, but it\u2019s always good to know what is what:<\/p>\n