Why Do Mobile Apps Even Exist in 2024? We Have Web Apps, Right?
I was asked this question by a colleague last week. To be honest, he had a point. The question might sound naive at first, but it made me think…
Web apps, especially PWAs, can now pretty much do everything a mobile app can. So why do we need them at all? To answer this, let’s take a step back and consider why mobile apps make sense in the first place.
#1. Mobile apps are faster (but why?)
Mobile apps like Android and iOS serve one primary purpose: they package the entire presentation logic (UI) into a single package and, when in use, download only the necessary data required for display on the screen.
For example, in a conventional website, loading the home screen triggers multiple requests, downloading all UI components, data, and even libraries. These resources may or may not be reused for subsequent visits, depending on the technology and browser.
However, in a mobile app, the UI logic is already included in the package, and network requests load only the necessary data for presentation on the screen.
#2. Ready access to hardware
There aren’t many websites that support fingerprint authentication, primarily due to the lack of access to hardware components. For a web app, the browser is its entire ecosystem, with little-to-no knowledge about the underlying operating system. Whether it’s the microphone, camera, or biometric hardware, access is requested from the browser using WebKit, rather than directly from the OS.
Additionally, assuming that the browser supports a fingerprint scanner and has permission from the OS adds an extra layer of complexity compared to mobile apps, which can directly request such permissions from the OS.
This limitation becomes more pronounced when considering hardware-based communication methods used for sharing data among devices, such as BLE and AirDrop.
#3. Mobile apps are bookmarks
A mobile app also serves as a bookmark to a service, always present on your screen and ready to be clicked. Once installed, it remains in view, and the user doesn’t need to remember its URL or open a browser to access its contents. Everything is just a click away.
#4. Widgets
Widgets in mobile apps are a game changer. They allow fragments of apps to run on our home screens or lock screens, significantly increasing user engagement and maintaining a constant presence in users’ minds.
Although promotional push notifications serve a similar purpose when used mindfully, Zomato’s promotional notifications are one such example.
#5. Background services
Thanks to easy communication to and from the operating system, mobile apps can run long (or even continuous) background services. These services are invaluable for tasks such as offline syncing, personalization, and features like push notifications (although I’m aware these now exist in web apps).
#6. Apps Stores — An ecosystem
If mobile apps didn’t have a search engine, I would give this point to web apps, but they do! Just like websites have search engines to be discovered when someone searches for a specific topic, mobile apps benefit from app stores like the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. These app stores constitute a pre-existing ecosystem, where companies run everything from ad campaigns to ASO (App Store Optimization) to get their app discovered.
Conclusion
Both web apps and mobile apps serve distinct purposes. While web technology has rapidly advanced in recent years, producing numerous innovations, the place of mobile apps remains unchanged.
Even if web apps were to bridge the gap between themselves and native OS functionality someday, they would still be referred to as mobile apps, wouldn’t they?
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