When I installed the Discourse Hub app on my android phone and connected my site - hub.FiddleQuest.com - it created a separate app. That was a pleasant surprise!
But when I went through the same steps on another android phone and an iPhone, it did not create this separate app (instance?).
I prefer the unique app icon for my site as opposed to the discourse hub app.
I’d like to understand how this works so I can advise my users who want to create a mobile friendly experience of my site.
I’m guessing that your browser installed the Discourse page as link. That’s not the Hub app. Most browsers will offer to save it as a link on your phone. On android, at least, it looks like an app, but is really just the regular site.
Yeah Hub on Android prompts you to save as a PWA. Probably because it is a webview, so exposes all native behaviour in the app. But in this context doesn’t make complete sense and probably should be disabled in Hub? (A bit of CSS could achieve and that?)
These are not “true” apps, though the Android PWA is close.
For full app experience, especially in iOS you still need:
(mainly for the real-time notifications).
Edit: that said, I like the Hub because it provides a nice directory of Discourse instances you are participating in.
Although early next year safari on iOS should at long last bridge that particular gap.
I see. I confirmed that the app icon on my android is just a browser link. Very handy, but confusing.
Thanks for the help on this.