Did you know you can install Fediverse servers' websites as apps on your phone? These "web apps" let you have the most fully-featured versions of Mastodon, PeerTube, Pixelfed etc as apps on your home screen, including notifications, full screen interfaces etc.
It's very easy to install web apps on Android and iPhone/iPad, full instructions in this guide:
➡
️ https://fedi.tips/how-to-install-web-apps-for-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
Most web apps have more features than app store apps, due to restrictions in app store rules.
#FediTips
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
Hello, with ios 26 the playback of videos in the Mastodon web app no longer works for me. Do you know the problem and is there a solution for it?
Hallo, mit iOS 26 funktioniert das abspielen von Videos in der Mastodon Webapp bei mir nicht mehr. Kennt Ihr das Problem und gibt es eine Lösung dafür?
#Feditips #Mastodonapp
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services I never understood why there has to be a native app for everything? A good responsive website has once the effort (compared to three: website, iOS, Android) and reaches also those niche platforms (Linux mobile).
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
Oh, this sounds useful! 😎
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services the thing that's kept me on Tusky instead of the PWA is remembering where I left off. I follow few enough people and tags that I'm able to read it all, and I try to do so. Do you know whether there's a way to keep track of where I am in my feed with the PWA?
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services Oh this is good to know!! I was using one of those apps but this sounds a lot better. Out of curiosity do they take up space or are they more the equivalent to a desktop shortcut?
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
I don't see this option on zeroes.ca, though I'm logged in.
This is on Brave browser. Is it browser dependent?
@trendless@zeroes.ca @zeroes@zeroes.ca
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
Do web apps utilize privacy protection and ad blocker plug-ins like Privacy Badger?
p.s. If you're wondering why you don't hear more about web apps, it's because Apple and Google hate them. Web apps totally bypass Apple and Google app stores.
Apple and Google enjoy controlling and taxing apps, but they have no control over web apps and don't get any money from them.
Apple even tried to stop web apps completely, luckily they had to back off: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/apple-backs-off-killing-web-apps
Web apps are a way of getting apps directly from the people who make them, without big tech getting in the way.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
So wait.... If I have an old phone that I can leave plugged in, that I can leave connected to WiFi, I can run my own instance????
@3geek14@kind.social
That is a fair point, on the website/web app you just scroll down your timeline until you get to where you left off, but you have to remember where you were to know when you've reached this point.
As far as I know this is the only way to view the main timeline on the web version.
@elliek@zeroes.ca
You might need to use the browser that comes with your phone or tablet.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services with respect. As a software developer who has done both native and web, you don’t hear about web apps because they are a pain to build, don’t really add a lot of value, and approaching zero people ever install them. It’s a pipe dream.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services Apple no deja poner F Droid en móvil
Android/Google si
Algo se diferencian no?
Por que eso?
p.p.s. By their web-based design, web apps have much less access to the data stored on your phone. It's much harder to spy on people from web apps.
That's why so many companies try so hard to push you away from their websites and towards their app store apps, because app store apps make it much easier for them to spy on you.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services I use @phanpy as a web app on my phone to access Mastodon. It works well.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services imagine theres a fight and nobody is joining
@mellowfish@ruby.social
They add lots of value, for example the Mastodon and PeerTube apps have lots more features than their official apps.
So often when I'm helping people use Mastodon, I have to tell them to use the website or web app because the official app store app is missing a feature.
They also have fewer restrictions because they don't have to obey app store rules on responsibility for instance content.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services I really do wonder why we don't see more web apps. Whenever I come across them being well-done, I find it such a good way to make things. And I build plenty myself. Easy to spin up. Easy to host. Easy to update. And the web platform is so capable nowadays!
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services this is very true. I wrote an app for my client's field engineers and I think a lot of the need was to track
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
"No, I do not want to install your terrible app." is something I say often.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services Ah, ha! That is interesting and makes perfect sense now you mention it.
@ross@crikey.social
I think it's a combination of Apple and Google pushing app stores, and app makers wanting the telemetry they get from app store apps 😞
I know some mobile apps genuinely need to be apps, but so many of them are web apps anyway it seems odd to put them in app stores.
@mellowfish@ruby.social
They add lots of value, for example the Mastodon and PeerTube apps have lots more features than their official apps.
So often when I'm helping people use Mastodon, I have to tell them to use the website or web app because the official app store app is missing a feature.
They also have fewer restrictions because they don't have to obey app store rules on responsibility for instance content.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services I really do wonder why we don't see more web apps. Whenever I come across them being well-done, I find it such a good way to make things. And I build plenty myself. Easy to spin up. Easy to host. Easy to update. And the web platform is so capable nowadays!
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services this is very true. I wrote an app for my client's field engineers and I think a lot of the need was to track
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services
"No, I do not want to install your terrible app." is something I say often.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services Ah, ha! That is interesting and makes perfect sense now you mention it.
@ross@crikey.social
I think it's a combination of Apple and Google pushing app stores, and app makers wanting the telemetry they get from app store apps 😞
I know some mobile apps genuinely need to be apps, but so many of them are web apps anyway it seems odd to put them in app stores.
@ross@crikey.social
I think it's a combination of Apple and Google pushing app stores, and app makers wanting the telemetry they get from app store apps 😞
I know some mobile apps genuinely need to be apps, but so many of them are web apps anyway it seems odd to put them in app stores.
Fedi.Tips
