PWA (Progressive Web App)

A web app that installs to the phone's home screen and behaves like a native app — without going through the App Store.

What it actually means

A Progressive Web App is a website built with native-app behaviors: home-screen icon, fullscreen launch (no browser chrome), offline support, push notifications, and installation via "Add to Home Screen" instead of an App Store download. PWAs run on iOS Safari and Android Chrome equivalently; they bypass App Store review, $99/yr Apple developer fees, and DUNS verification gauntlets. The trade-off: certain native APIs (Bluetooth peripherals, deep file-system access) are limited compared to native apps.

Distinguishing it from look-alikes

A PWA is not just a "mobile-friendly website." It must include a service worker for offline caching, a manifest.json declaring the home-screen icon and launch behavior, and HTTPS hosting. Cadence ships PWA-first by default — coaches install it to their clients' home screens via Safari/Chrome and it functions identically to a native iOS/Android app for coaching workflows.

Examples

Cadence

PWA-first — installs to home screen via Safari (iOS) and Chrome (Android), no App Store needed

Twitter

Was PWA-first before native apps; PWA still works as fallback

Starbucks ordering

Original ordering app was PWA before native; identical functionality