How to Install Your App on Any Device (PWA)

Your Snapp app runs in the browser — but it doesn't have to feel like a website. As a PWA (Progressive Web App), a web app can be installed straight to a phone or desktop home screen, open full-screen with its own icon, and behave like a native app. No app store required.

Here's how you and your users can install it — plus what changed with share links, and what to do on Android if you built a mobile app.

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What's a PWA, in one line?

A web app you can "Add to Home Screen" so it launches full-screen from an icon, just like a downloaded app — but it updates instantly and needs no store approval.

Your app's link looks like https://snappai.co/preview/your-app-id. Anyone with that link can open and install it.

About link lifetime: on the Free plan, a share link stays live for 24 hours. On Premium, it's permanent. This matters for installs — an installed PWA opens that same link, so on Free it stops working once the 24 hours pass. Nothing about your app is lost: reshare to get a fresh link, or upgrade to Premium to keep the link (and every install) working forever.

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Install a web app

The steps below are for web apps. Built a mobile app? Jump to Mobile apps on Android below.

Android (Chrome)

1. Get your app link. It looks like https://snappai.co/preview/your-app-id. If you built the app, tap the Share button to copy it; if a friend sent it to you, just use the link they shared.

2. Open it in Chrome. Find the Chrome app on your phone (the round red-yellow-green icon) and open it. Tap the address bar at the very top, paste or type your link, and press Enter / Go. Wait a few seconds for the app to fully load.

3. Tap the install prompt. Chrome usually slides up a small "Install app" (or "Add to Home screen") bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap it, then tap Install / Add to confirm.

4. No prompt? Do it manually. Tap the ⋮ button (three dots in the top-right corner of Chrome) to open the menu. Scroll to and tap Add to Home screen (on some phones it says Install app). Then tap Add / Install to confirm.

5. You're done. Close Chrome and look at your home screen — your app now has its own icon there. Tap it any time to open the app full-screen, just like an app you downloaded from the Play Store.

iPhone / iPad (Safari)

Apple doesn't show an automatic prompt, so it's a quick manual step:

1. Open your app's link in Safari.

2. Tap the Share icon (the square with the up arrow).

3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.

4. Tap Add. The icon appears on your home screen and opens full-screen.

> On iPhone, installing must be done in Safari — not Chrome or another browser.

Desktop (Chrome / Edge)

1. Open the app link.

2. Look for the install icon in the address bar (a small monitor/⊕ icon) and click it.

3. The app opens in its own window and gets a launcher/dock shortcut.

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Mobile apps on Android (React Native)

If you built a mobile app (React Native), the preview link is a demo — not an installable web app. On Android it shows your app running inside a preview frame, so there's no "Add to Home Screen" install button. To actually get a mobile app onto Android devices, pick one of these three paths:

Option 1 — Ship a web version (fastest, no store needed).

1. Open your app in the builder and tell the AI: "Create a web version of this app."

2. When it's ready, tap Share to get the new web link.

3. Open that link on the Android phone and follow the Android (Chrome) steps above — it installs to the home screen like any web app.

This is the quickest way to let anyone install your app on Android without the Play Store.

Option 2 — Publish to Google Play (a real app in the store).

1. In the builder, open App Options → Publish.

2. Follow the step-by-step guide here: Publish to App Store & Google Play.

3. Once it's live, your users just search for it in the Play Store and tap Install — exactly like any other Android app.

Option 3 — Open it inside the Snapp app (quick preview on a real phone).

1. On the Android phone, install the Snapp app from the Google Play Store.

2. Send the mobile app's share link (it looks like https://snappai.co/s/...) to that phone and tap it — it opens inside Snapp and runs your app like a native preview.

3. If tapping the link doesn't open Snapp automatically, open the Snapp app first, then tap the link again — your app will appear in your shared apps.

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Why this is great for retention

• One tap to reopen. An icon on the home screen beats remembering a URL — people come back more.
• No store, no wait. Web-app updates go live instantly; no review process.
• Works everywhere. The same web-app link installs on Android, iOS, and desktop.

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Common questions

Do my users need an account or an app store?

For a web app, no — they just open the link and add it to their home screen. For a mobile app on Android, see the three options above.

Why can't Android users install my mobile app from the link?

A mobile (React Native) app isn't a web page, so it can't be "added to the home screen" as a PWA — that's why the link shows a preview instead of an install button. Ship a web version, publish to Google Play, or open it inside the Snapp app.

Does it work offline?

Core PWA behavior (icon, full-screen, fast reload) works out of the box for web apps. Full offline support depends on your app's features — ask the AI if you need it.

What about a real native app in the stores?

That's a separate path. See Publish to App Store & Google Play.

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What's next

• Share your app with others — send the install link to anyone.
• Publish to the app stores when you want a store listing.