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DaveLPG's avatar
DaveLPG
Brass Contributor
Dec 04, 2019

Why doesn't outlook.com have a plus sign in the Edge address bar like other Chromium browsers do?

For example, Twitter and Google Maps had a plus sign in the address bar and I installed them. I think they are "real" PWAs.  I've read that outlook.com in now a PWA, so why doesn't it too have a plus sign in the address bar?  I'm using Dev channel Edge. 

 

I do see the "install this site as an app" but is that "really" the same as a PWA?     

  • johnjansen's avatar
    johnjansen
    Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
    Dec 04, 2019

    DaveLPG outlook is not yet a PWA. I'm not sure if they have a timeline yet for becoming one or not, unfortunately. However, you get basically the same experience when you "install site as an app" as you do from a PWA, the differences are subtle.

     

    In order to get the "Plus" sign in the omnibox for install, three things must be true:

     

    1. the site is served over HTTPS

    2. the site has a manifest json file at the root of the domain

    3. the site has service workers

     

    You can always go to webhint.io and run a scan on any url to get a "PWA" score. 


    All that said, we expect that end users will really not be able to tell much difference between a "real" PWA and a site that is installed. Primarily, the differences will come from what would be contained in the manifest, as well as potential offline capabilities.

     

    -John

    • DaveLPG's avatar
      DaveLPG
      Brass Contributor
      Dec 05, 2019

      johnjansen  Thank you for your quick reply and explanation.  I think I'll wait till I see a plus sign before I "install" outlook.com.  While PWAs sound interesting, they are, at least at the moment, confusing from a user perspective.

       

      Dave... 

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