Even though 2023 DATE hasn’t wrapped up, it’s clear this year DATE is shaping up to be monumental for the open web. Apple ORG , Microsoft ORG , and Google ORG have been dropping some pretty awesome updates – some I honestly thought would never come – making PWAs PERSON an increasingly viable alternative to native apps. And many companies (yeah, including my own) are hopping on this trend.

What happened in the world of PWA ORG in 2023 DATE ?

In March DATE , Apple ORG finally added push notifications to iOS PWAs. This was by far the most demanded PWA ORG feature of all time. As I wrote a few months ago DATE , Apple ORG ‘s push implementation is good — really good. Dare I even say better than Google ORG ‘s?

In April DATE , @MorganWBender and team rolled out the beta of store.app – the first ORDINAL -ever app store dedicated to PWAs.

In May DATE , Google ORG finally eliminated the service worker requirement for both Android ORG and Desktop Chrome ORG . Developers no longer need to incorporate a service worker for their apps to qualify as installable. Everything that simplifies the development process is a welcome change.

Come August DATE , friend.tech dropped a PWA ORG -only crypto app. No native app. Not accessible in the browser. You have to install it on your homescreen to use it. Probably the most ballsy PWA ORG implementation I’ve ever seen.

With Safari PERSON

17 CARDINAL released in September DATE , Apple ORG added a new " Add To Dock WORK_OF_ART " button to desktop Safari ORG . They’ve also increased the storage quotas assigned to Home Screen Apps ORG . Another much-needed improvement was the addition of the "Add To Home Screen" button to in-app browsers that use Safari View Controller ORG — that one had been on my bucket list for a long time.

Microsoft ORG and @diekus are also making strides with a proposal for a new Web Install API PRODUCT , which if rolled out, will allow apps to be installed from other domains.

While PWAs PERSON might not be the magic bullet to replace all native apps, they certainly carve out an increasingly significant niche. They will never fully take over the native app space, nor should they. But for many use cases, they’re a game changer. Universal installability, no app store commissions, instant updates – what’s not to like?