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A Progressive Web App (PWA) gives your community members an app-like experience on their phone — with your branding, an icon on their home screen, and push notifications — without requiring submission to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

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What is a PWA?

A PWA is a website that behaves like a native mobile app. When members add it to their home screen:
  • It opens full-screen without a browser address bar
  • It loads fast with cached content
  • It supports push notifications
  • It has your custom icon and splash screen
  • It works offline for previously loaded content

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Setting up the branded PWA

1

Open community settings

Navigate to Memberships and Communities > Communities and open your community settings.
2

Enable the PWA

Find the Mobile App or PWA Settings section and toggle it ON.
3

Upload branding assets

Configure the app’s appearance:
  • App name — the name that appears under the home screen icon
  • App icon — a square image (512 x 512 px recommended) used as the home screen icon
  • Splash screen — the loading screen shown when the app opens
  • Theme color — the color of the status bar and app header
  • Background color — the splash screen background color
4

Save and publish

Click Save. The PWA is now available — members can install it from their browser.

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How members install the PWA

Members add the PWA to their home screen from the community portal:
  1. Open the community URL in their mobile browser (Chrome on Android, Safari on iOS).
  2. The browser prompts them to Add to Home Screen (or they can do it from the browser’s share menu).
  3. The app icon appears on their home screen.
  4. Tapping the icon opens the community in full-screen app mode.
Include a “Download the app” banner or instruction in your welcome email and community onboarding post. Many members do not know they can install a PWA unless you tell them how.

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Push notifications

Once the PWA is installed, members can receive push notifications for:
  • New posts in their joined groups
  • Comments and replies on their posts
  • New events and event reminders
  • Direct messages from other members
  • Admin announcements
Members manage their notification preferences from the community settings panel inside the app.

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PWA vs native app

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Limitations

  • iOS push notifications — Safari on iOS has limited PWA push notification support compared to Android
  • App store discovery — PWAs are not listed in the Apple App Store or Google Play, so members must visit your URL to install
  • Hardware access — PWAs have limited access to device features like camera, Bluetooth, or NFC compared to native apps
  • Offline functionality — only previously loaded content is available offline; new content requires an internet connection
The PWA is powered by the same community portal URL your members already use. Enabling the PWA does not change the desktop experience — it enhances the mobile experience by adding app-like features.
Last modified on March 7, 2026