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Before the iTunes App Store existed, before there was Google Play, before the Android Market came to be, there were web apps. The proliferation of offerings at these app stores has made many people forget that web apps exist. But web apps continue to be very handy tools, especially for mobile devices such as a smartphones and tablets. If your smartphone app store doesn’t have a particular app, you may be able to use a web app instead.
Back in the Olden Days, before the iTunes App Store was launched, I owned an iPod Touch and would use web apps frequently to search for recipes and movie times, for currency and metric conversion, and to find the closest petrol station (I was living in the UK at the time). Now, with my smartphones and iPad loaded with mobile apps, I tend not to use web apps as much, but they still can be very useful.
What are Web Apps?
Web apps or web applications are websites designed to work as tools, similar to mobile apps that reside on your phone. Web apps are designed to perform a function, just as mobile apps do.
The benefits of web apps are that they don’t take up space on your device, don’t need to be downloaded, can be accessed from any Internet connected device, and are free. The downsides are that you must have an Internet connection to use them (mostly, though there are some that work off-line) and they may not have as many features or functions as a native app.
Recently, web apps became more popular after Apple replaced the Google Maps app on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with its own Maps app. People who missed having the Google Maps mobile app on their iDevices turned to the Google Maps web app.
How to Use Web Apps
To use a web app, go to the browser on your mobile device, Safari for Apple devices, Browser on Android devices. Enter the website address of your web app and wait for it to load. Follow the instructions and you will be using your web app.
For example, if you want to use the Google Maps web app on your iPhone, open Safari and go to maps.google.com. Google will ask to use your Current Location (you need to allow it for the web app to work). You will also be asked if you want to add an icon to your home page. You should allow this if you will be a frequent user of the app. Type in the address and Google Maps will show you the location.
If you use a web app frequently or want to keep it handy, add it as bookmark or to your home screen so it appears as an icon.
How to Find Web Apps
Many popular websites have web apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, eBay, Pandora, Wikipedia, Epicurious, and many email sites.You can find web apps by searching web app directories such as AppAppeal, App Useful, and Listio.
Apple device users can head to http://www.apple.com/webapps/ on their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and browse through dozens of web apps, including games, recipes, utilities and tools.
Why Not Just Use Web Apps?
You may be wondering why you would bother loading mobile apps onto your device when you can use web apps.
— Not all websites function as web apps. Some websites aren’t interactive so won’t provide you the information you need.
— Mobile apps are optimized to be viewed on your device. Their displays are created to be seen best with the resolution and size of your screen.
— Mobile apps can take advantage of the capabilities of your device. Smartphones and tablets can be very smart, with features such as a compass, GPS, gyroscope and others that can be utilized most effectively by mobile apps.
— Mobile apps may be able to work off-line. Web apps mostly depend upon an Internet connection and may use up more of your monthly data limit. A mobile app may be able to store information on your device and work when you’re not connected to the Internet, reducing your use of data on your cell phone plan and your dependence upon an Internet connection.
Bottom Line
Use web apps to keep precious space free on your mobile device and access web tools on the go.
Have you ever used web apps? Do you prefer using web apps or native apps on your mobile device? Let us know in the Comments section below!
*Web Apps image (edited) by Frankie Roberto
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Hi Carolyn,
I’m not sure about these because I’m too mean to buy a smart phone. I am slowly coming aorund to the idea of splashing out on a new camera, so that takes priority. We are using Skype now, some friends on their phones and I use it on my laptop. I’m getting used to it. My friends keep saying they need new phones because they load apps and seem to run out of memory. I run Google Chrome and they have lots of application in the Chrome store. I assume these will run on Android phones.
I’ve joined a local art group on Facebook now! They seem to like my pictures. I’ve found out that the church on the edge of the park is due for demolition, so I’ll have to take more pictures before it’s gone.
Hi Mike, I can understand that you would prefer to buy a camera instead of a smartphone, as you are a professional photographer. For many people though they can get a smartphone with a camera for less than the price of the camera alone. A smartphone camera wouldn’t be sufficient for your purposes, but for many people, a smartphone camera would be an improvement over their current cameras.
Google Chrome apps work on the Chrome browser, they’re not web apps nor mobile apps. I should write about Chrome apps though because there are a lot of useful ones that people should discover.
Congratulation on your local Facebook art group. Did you find them through the new Facebook search or did they find you? They must be thrilled to find such talent in their midst!
And we all like precious space, don’t we?
I could easily get rid of half my apps and never miss them and sooner rather than later, I will get pro-active enough to make that happen. For me, I don’t think it’s a space issue, it’s more if I’m even using the app or not.
Of course, just like my e-mails; I have a tendency to hold onto some a little too long and have to go back and clear that out at times too.
I really need a personal assistant…:).
Hi Carolyn,
I didn’t use web apps till now. They are just out of fashion 🙂 Actually many of us ignore such things to install. If we compare with mobile apps, they are designed for our mobile and can use features of mobile to provide better experience.
Thanks
Hi Vipin, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re absolutely right, web apps aren’t cutting edge and have fallen out of fashion with the immense popularity of mobile apps. But it’s important for people to know that web apps are still available to use.
Some people don’t realize that they can access Facebook, Twitter, and other sites through web apps, instead of relying solely on mobile apps. Sometimes mobile apps don’t have the same functionality as the web apps. Knowing that you have options empowers you to make the choice of which one to use.
Similarly, if you’re considering a mobile device with a cutting edge operating system, but without a complete app store, you may still be able to use your device effectively by using web apps until the budding app store attracts developers.
Thanks so very much for stopping by to share your thoughts, Vipin!
I have used maps.google.com on my Galaxy iPad many times. Only difference was that I wasn’t aware that its called web app. Here is good information about web apps to find more useful apps to use. Webapps are very helpful in a situation when you can’t use a native app.
Great post, as always. I appreaciate how much you try to keep people aware of the technology. I have dealt with the web app, and mobile app choice issues a lot since last few years. There are plenty good and bad about the web apps. Good is, a mobile app also can be written like a web app. Or other way round, a web app can be written like a mobile app. The advantage is, once you write a mobile app using web framework, its immediately usable on Android, iOS, Windows or pretty much any device that has a HTML5 compatible browser. But the bad is, the interactivity leaves a lot to be desired. If its a very low text based information consumption kinda app (think Quora, Yelp), its okay to be a web mobile app. Else it better be a native app.
Last year, Mark Zuckerberg very publicly admitted that Facebook’s decision of going HTML5 route was a wrong one, and they reverted to native app. Just yesterday, LinkedIn did exactly the same. They dumped their HTML5 app in favor of native.
Mobile phones are so close to us, and such nice little screen with such high-res, we expect nothing but awesomeness when we interact with it. And thats exactly where the webapps fail in delivering total awesomeness as compared to the native.
Web apps on mobile has a long way to go, and its evolving. Google is the leading the frontier.
Hi iRewardChart, Thanks so much for giving us a peek behind the curtain into the world of app developers. You’re right, one of the advantages of a web app is that it can be viewed on any mobile device, but functionality can suffer. It’s a lot more work for a developer to make a web app, but at least there is monetization potential for mobile apps, perhaps making the work worthwhile.
I thought it was important to let readers know that they do have options in addition to mobile apps. If they get frustrated at the lack of a mobile app for their device or the limited functionality of a mobile app, they may be able to use a web app instead.
You’re absolutely right about Google being on the leading edge of web apps. They make the functionality of their web apps nearly as good as their mobile apps, unlike many sites.
The only one I’ve used Carolyn is the Google Chrome – I have the same settings on computer as phone. The rest I use are mobile apps, I love the quickness of them with my Droid. They are much easier to use then web versions of many social sites.
Hi Lisa, Yes, if your mobile app is working well and has all the features you need, you should stick with that rather than using a mobile app. But if you’re running out of space on your phone or have other reasons to use a web app, it’s good to know they’re there.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences, Lisa!
I think it’s pretty safe to say that I don’t have any web apps yet Carolyn accept I did upload Google maps per your suggestion. I went to a funeral on Monday and they invited us to come have lunch at the church. Well I had no clue where the church was and they kept telling me the name of the street and which street you turned off of. So I just looked it up on Google maps and tada. I knew exactly where it was then so that little gem came in very handy for that particular instance.
There are a couple of apps on my iPhone that I don’t use and probably won’t ever use but the other ones will come in handy. I’m getting the hang of it and I must admit, it’s so much easier to text now. I have 2 nieces and they’ve both been texting me this week so it’s come in very handy.
This is still good to know though and as I continue to learn you just never know.
Thanks Carolyn for always staying on top of things.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I’m so glad that the Google Maps app helped you out. When you’re in unfamiliar territory, the Google Maps app can be your favorite app.
If you have a mobile app, chances are you don’t need a web app, but it’s good to know they’re there when you need them!