“Do you want to install … on this device?” Is important and should be always available somewhere in the menus. Users just can’t count on trying to find it in the occasional notices.
Okay, I installed the app, or at least that’s what I thought. I can’t seem to find it on my cell phone. Can I please have a chance to install it again? Where’s that link. I want to install it again!
I’ll probably hit the X confident that nothing bad would happen. And now the reminder is gone forever.
Ok…, I found https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.discourse but that couldn’t be the same thing besides it’s got a super low rating.
Okay it finally popped up on my home screen but other users might not be so fortunate, so be sure to have a permanent link on every discussion board for it.
It’s always available on the Chrome 3 dots menu → “Install App”
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I’m don’t totally understand why we should show de facto app-ad to every users in navigation, and forever no matter even they don’t want install it.
We have FAQ instead, and that is suitable place tell such things.
So yeah the FAQ might be a good place t9 keep the option to have it installable if one dismisses the option and wishes to install later if not using chrome. Or maybe in one of the user preferences settings.
To me not a big deal though.
in chrome 3 dot menu.
I bet 99% of users never knew that. Maybe that’s a good thing to be sure to mention in future faqs.
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That’s really down to Google though, as it’s their browsers feature.
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How would I manually put the link to this in the navigation? I’m not sure how to get the URL for our installation.
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Even a reply that this isn’t possible would be helpful at this point, but given how fickle users/visitors are in the face of being even slightly inconvenienced to make extra clicks, it would be smart functionality to have such a link up front and center for everyone since it’s not available in an app store.
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Most people install apps via an app store, and very few people go digging through their browser menu, let alone read FAQs.
Users are lazy, you have to put something in their face; if it’s inconvenient, they’ll bypass it. A prominent link is much more likely to get the app installed than convoluted instructions to find it.
And again, I have no idea why this isn’t default functionality.
This is not really an App. In Chrome you can add any website as an App to your homescreen be it mobile or desktop.
Though @Falco could this option maybe added to user preferences page? Maybe first page? Or maybe even the Discobot tutorial with a query that will also show the install ap link
In the meantime is there a link code you could share?
The hardiness of having this for novice users and others a like that might not be aware would be a boon for installing app on multiple devices.
I guess, but I don’t want to get hung up on semantics, when the users will treat it like an app.
Heck, all I was hoping for was a way to get the link for our own install so we could manually put it in the navigation and drive users to it.
Forums are a dying medium as it is, and ours is over 20 years old; whatever we can do to keep them returning, is important.
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I will see about creating a new user and see if can copy the install app link. Not sure if can copy it though…
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Unfortunately looks like a no go. See below reasoning. It is not on Discourse but triggered when visiting a compatible site in Chrome or Edge.
So best we could do is create a tutorial on our forums explaining how to add. On Android it seems to call install App in Chrome.
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Fairly new around here, but how would one submit that as a feature request? It can’t be all that hard to implement, but would do wonders for getting people more active on a forum.
I mean, how often do you use your phone to access a web browser to go to a specific site, rather than an app?
It is more of a
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Excellent. Then I aggressively submit that request, and would be willing to chip in actual money if that’s what it takes.
For reference, the community we run on Discourse was previously on VBulletin, with around 1.5M posts and 300k users over 20 years. We didn’t migrate everything at the time, just cut it over, and are trying to get a fraction of the previous engagement back—in an era of smartphones and competing with billion-dollar social media platforms.
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