[0x457]

When I say I want an app that implies a few things:

- this isn't a one-off use, I don't want an app to pay parking meter once and never use it again.

- it's an app and not a WebView pretending to be native

- it's native and not react-wanna-be-native

- you know how to make an app

I have to use this app to open a parcel locker and every time I launch it I have to wait for "downloading bundle". It's probably the easiest kind of app to make and yet somehow they made it worse then a website.

[wodenokoto]

But take parents example. What is it you want the app version to do that a decent website can’t do?

[0x457]

Well, for starters, UIKit apps are faster and better on battery than web apps. Then we add a bunch of APIs that are just not available to a web app:

- Core Bluetooth

- Core NFC

- Periodic synchronization

- Background upload/download

- Background location tracking (in some cases, it's a plus, though)

- Nearby Interaction

- Anything USB

- No widgets

- No HomeKit integration

- No share extension

- No Live Activities or Dynamic Island content

The list is honestly too long.

To be clear, I do wish that Apple was less hostile towards PWAs and developers were better at making PWAs. Until recently, you couldn't even send a push notification from PWA.

[DeepSeaTortoise]

To me the major distinctions are near full functionality even if I'm offline and the app hasn't been used in a long time and offline-first design with all major assets being available for download ahead of time and/or transferable between devices without re-downloading

[wodenokoto]

Sure, but when it is for things like "reimbursements, documentation and reporting, gathering and presenting business data. That sort of thing.", I'm not really sure offline is that big a requirement, or that there are that many major assets. Even so, your mobile browser should be able to cache CSS and hero images.

[pjmlp]

Not the op, proper graphics.

Web 3D will never compete with native APIs in developer tooling, and hardware capabilities.

Now outside gaming, all CRUD apps could easily be mobile Web.

[wodenokoto]

Okay, but why do you need 3D for an interface where you register leave?

[pjmlp]

Missed my last sentence?

[Akronymus]

> this isn't a one-off use, I don't want an app to pay parking meter once and never use it again

Just today I ran into a parkingmeter that was covered up in favor of ONLY allowing to pay via app. Which I find horrendous. (austria, for context)