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Add URL to home screen instead of using PWA "Install"?

FFUser264
FFUser264
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Hello. I would like to force the creation of an Android home screen item which opens Firefox to a specific URL though the desired site is using Progressive Web Apps. Since the site uses PWA, Firefox for Android replaces the menu item "Add to Home Screen" with "Install". Using "Install" creates a home screen item which links to the website's home page, not to the specific URL. I would like to bypass the PWA and create a simple link to the URL. I am using Android 11 running Firefox 89.1.1. The URL I would like is deep within Weather Underground.

In early 2020 on a different phone, I used Firefox "Add to Home Screen" to create a home screen item which opened Firefox to the desired URL at Weather Underground. This was on Android 10 with some older version of Firefox. That URL still works on Android 10 running Firefox 89.1.1.

I am calling it a "home screen item", but is it actually a Widget? The Android 10 and 11 Widget menus (with Firefox 89.1.1) do not let me create a new URL. How was this done in the past? I still have the item on my Android 10 phone, so can I move it to Android 11?

Hello. I would like to force the creation of an Android home screen item which opens Firefox to a specific URL though the desired site is using Progressive Web Apps. Since the site uses PWA, Firefox for Android replaces the menu item "Add to Home Screen" with "Install". Using "Install" creates a home screen item which links to the website's home page, not to the specific URL. I would like to bypass the PWA and create a simple link to the URL. I am using Android 11 running Firefox 89.1.1. The URL I would like is deep within Weather Underground. In early 2020 on a different phone, I used Firefox "Add to Home Screen" to create a home screen item which opened Firefox to the desired URL at Weather Underground. This was on Android 10 with some older version of Firefox. That URL still works on Android 10 running Firefox 89.1.1. I am calling it a "home screen item", but is it actually a Widget? The Android 10 and 11 Widget menus (with Firefox 89.1.1) do not let me create a new URL. How was this done in the past? I still have the item on my Android 10 phone, so can I move it to Android 11?

All Replies (1)

kevinadcruz
kevinadcruz
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Hello,

I tried replicating your issue and I see it too. It looks like certain websites support "Add to Home Screen" while support "Install" like some sort of Web app or PWA. I think I depends on how the website itself was built. For the same reason, a specific Weather / Weather Underground page doesn't let me "Add to Home Screen" even on Chrome too. It could be also that the way PWAs work may have changed from Android 10 to Android 11 (which I currently use). It may be something that either the web or Android developers might know more about.

Hope there's a solution to it soon!

Modified by kevinadcruz