Apple released the first beta version of iOS 16.4 on Thursday evening, which includes some important new features for web apps thanks to policy updates and new features in the WebKit engine.
As in the WebKit blog described, web apps for the home screen will have access to push notifications for the first time using the standard HTML5 Web Push API, including badges. Previously, access to Apple's push notification service was only available to App Store apps. Unlike Safari on the desktop, no website can request web push notifications in iOS 16.4's mobile Safari. Apple limits this feature to web apps that you add to your home screen (create a shortcut for a website using the Add to Home Screen button in the share bar, which appears as an app icon in your app grid).
iOS 16.4 allows web apps to send push notifications to iPhone users
Of course, every web app needs permission to send notifications, just like native apps. Once set up, push notifications from web apps can also be integrated into the Focus system. If the same web app is installed on multiple devices, its Focus status will stay in sync across all devices. Another change is that third-party browsers can now use the standard system sharing to display an interface that allows users to add a website to their home screen. Web app shortcuts on the home screen will now also launch in the default third-party app, not just Safari.
Apple gives WebKit more features
With iOS 16.4, the design of the shortcut icons for web apps is also changing. Previously, iOS used a mini screenshot of the website as an icon if the website operator did not provide an explicit iOS-sized icon. The new design shows a simple monogram as a placeholder icon that uses the first letter of the website name. In addition to Web Push, WebKit version 16.4 includes other new web APIs that help developers create better web apps. These include support for screen wake assertions, support for the modern, standards-based Device Alignment API, improved access to codecs for video processing, and much more. (Photo by tashka2000 / Bigstockphoto)
