Bring back PWA (progressive web apps)

[brochard]

Progressive Web apps are an important feature of a browser that Firefox is the only one missing.
For some, it can be the reason to switch to another browser.
In other cases like for the Steamdeck, it's what imposed the choice to only include Chrome in the SteamOS interface.
Other problem even for avid Firefox users, since I wanted Social apps on my pc I had to get them on the Microsoft Store which is an Edge PWA that opens every link in an Edge window, making me use this... other browser.

[davidhoare]

Just adding my voice to this, please. The couple PWA projects I've recently developed forced me to move to Edge. I keep trying to come back to Firefox, but without this feature I can't commit 100%.

[beqwewqewq]

Honestly firefox deserves losing its market share because of stuff like this. Instead of doing oh hey we are not chromium propaganda, they should focus on actually improving the browser and add the features users want. It is beyond me that pwa is still not implemented in 2023 in a modern browser. I already left firefox because of this. Also whats the point of mozilla connect if you wont listen to community

[MinecraftPro10]

Please implement web apps like those in google chrome. Implement these on the desktop app of Firefox becuase they are very useful! It's another of the little things that hold me back from switching totally to Firefox.

[joshuasu]

We need it !

[Manny78]

I don't trust chrome. why force us to install it?

[Hyourinmaru]

After a long time, I changed my standard browser a few days ago from Google Chrome to Firefox, on the desktop and mobile. The reason was the changes in the manifest for chrome extensions and I need browser extensions on my mobile browser for ad blocking with uBlock Origin (blocking the ads system-wide in Android with private dns are no option if you would to exclude individual websites from it) and Google don't allows to install extensions in Chrome for Android.

I had extremly many websites, that I installed as a progressive web app on my smartphone and tablet with Google Chrome to have more overview in the app grid with an individual icon from the website and use the websites like a normal app. I was shocked to learn that the current version of Firefox on desktop and mobile doesn't support progressive web apps from native, but just adding a shortcut to the home screen, which Mozilla probably calls a "web app".

I have found the Firefox extension PWAforFirefox that recovers the progressive web app function in the desktop version of Firefox and it works as well, but there is no extension nor any other option to recover the progressive web app function in Firefox for Android.

Please Mozilla, bring back progressive web apps for Firefox for desktop and mobile!!! It can't be true that I have to use Google Chrome or a Chromium-based browser for progressive web apps!

[jpierce-coder]

There is a privacy focused Firefox fork called Floorp that has implemented PWA support on Windows (not on Linux due to Mozilla not providing an API for Linux). I really like what they've done. But it'd be better if they just put PWA support back in Firefox.

[brandleesee]

Unless I am mistaken, Floorp is developed by some coders from Mozilla. Could it be that Floorp is a sort of Beta testing app for Firefox? (besides the regular alpha/beta channels for developing FF)

[FlameStoat]

Guys, just create shortcut on the desktop with destination set to a URL. It's the exact same thing.

[ZenoArrow]

@FlameStoatIt's not the exact same thing, and people like you that continue with this false assumption despite all the evidence to the contrary are not helping. Think about it for 5 seconds, if it was such a simple request why would Mozilla be holding back on implementing a "create as standalone PWA" function to Firefox? If it was as simple as you described it could take a coder less than an hour to implement. Perhaps something you're overlooking is that PWAs work both offline and online. Try creating a desktop shortcut to your favourite website and open it when you're offline. Doesn't work does it. This is just one example of many of where "create a shortcut" does not cut it.

[jasiralavi]

I've been using https://github.com/filips123/PWAsForFirefox and it works great. Takes a bit setting it up, but works. This extension currently creates new profiles for each PWA.

But it would be best and more stable to have it built in to Firefox. That would make password management, etc easier.

[FlameStoat]

@ZenoArrowThank you for correcting that. Learned something.

[ZenoArrow]

@FlameStoatYou're welcome. Thank you for your honesty.

[jasiralavi]

Here's another great idea that I think could be implemented together with PWA:

https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/unleash-the-power-of-offline-browsing-introducing-local-website... 

Including that under PWA would give each local website mentioned here a better app like feel. I understand that there are other technologies that do that, but this would be a great opportunity to actually turn firefox bowser extensions site to a bigger marketplace that facilitates apps (online/local/offline) that run on web technologies.

The Firefox store could be the go to marketplace for local as well as online PWA's (each running in it's own space, with it's on icon and may be even enhancements like extensions, themes, etc that are specific to them).

It's becoming increasingly relevant now to support this. I'm not an IT/Tech person but most of my frequently used "apps" are web apps. And it make me 10x more productive to use them alongside the browser as a separate "app" with different icon and launcher.

As you see 7 of the 11 apps I keep open are PWA's (Currently using the PWA for firefox extension for most). And of the remaining 4, two are browsers.

I also like the fact that this (PWA for firefox extension for now) sets up separate profiles and allows me to save the passwords required for each, and also allows me to have separate themes and extensions that helps give each one have it's on distinct persona.

[stuartmaxwell]

For someone late to the discussion, is this something that Mozilla is actually considering? I consider myself a die-hard Firefox user, but it frustrates me to have to use Chrome for PWAs. I would have thought that PWAs align very well with Mozilla and the open web.