PWA mobile apps
A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a web app your users install on their phone straight from the browser — no app store involved. In Cadrant you build it in the Mobile application tab, option « Webview / PWA ».
It is the simplest way to put a mobile product in people's hands: you publish a URL, and that URL is the app.
How a PWA reaches your users
- They open your URL on their phone, in any browser.
- They tap « Add to home screen » in the browser menu.
- The app gets its own icon and opens full screen, without browser chrome.
- Every time you publish, everyone gets the new version immediately — nothing to download, nothing to approve.
What you get
- Mobile-first UI generated for touch screens and phone layouts.
- Phone-frame preview inside Cadrant (same tabs as a web app: preview, editor, code, data).
- A free Cadrant URL, or your own custom domain, with HTTPS included.
- Supabase backend: auth, database, storage and Edge Functions.
- GitHub sync and version history.
Publish
From the project header, open Publish and pick a slug or connect a custom domain. Share the link and you are live.
Details on slug and custom domains: Publish your project.
What a PWA cannot do
- Device APIs are limited compared to a native app — camera and push notifications in particular are restricted, and iOS restricts them further than Android.
- It is not in the App Store: nobody will find it by searching the store.
Recommended workflow
Build and preview
Iterate in the phone frame until navigation and key flows work.Publish the URL
Pick a slug or a custom domain, then share the link.Test the install
Open the URL on a real phone and add it to the home screen to check the icon, the splash and the full-screen behaviour.
Related
- WebView apps for the App Store — put the same app on the App Store.
- Native mobile apps — full native APIs, when the browser is not enough.
- Publish your project — slug and custom domains.