Camera & setup
How to Install a Web App on Android
Here's how to install a web app on Android: open the site in Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, then tap Install app (on some versions it's Add to Home screen, then Install). Confirm, and the site appears in your app drawer and on your Home screen, opening in its own window without an address bar.
We'll use Omlet (omlet.site), a free random video chat that runs in the browser, as the example. Menu names vary a little between Chrome versions and phone makers, so look for the closest match.
Install a PWA on Android with Chrome
- Open Chrome and go to omlet.site, or the site you want to install.
- Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner.
- Tap Install app. If you see Add to Home screen instead, tap it, and choose Install rather than Create shortcut if Chrome asks.
- Tap Install to confirm. It can take a few seconds to finish.
- Find the new icon in your app drawer. Some launchers don't place it on the Home screen automatically; touch and hold it in the drawer and drag it where you want it.
Chrome sometimes offers this on its own with a small install prompt at the bottom of the screen. It's the same thing, so tapping Install there works too.
Sites you can install like this are called progressive web apps, or PWAs. Our explainer on what a PWA is covers how they differ from apps you download.
Chrome install app vs Add to Home screen shortcut
Chrome can add a site to your phone in two ways, and they behave differently:
| Installed app | Home screen shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens in | Its own window, no address bar | A regular Chrome tab |
| App drawer | Yes | Usually not |
| Listed in Settings → Apps | Usually | No |
| Website data | Shared with Chrome | Shared with Chrome |
For a video chat, the installed app is nicer: more screen space, and it opens straight to the chat. A shortcut is fine if you just want a quick link.
Because both share Chrome's data, an Omlet country filter bought in Chrome on that phone is still there when you open the installed app, as long as you don't clear Chrome's data for the site.
Permissions after you install
The installed app uses Chrome's permissions for the site. Two layers both need to allow the camera and microphone:
- Android lets Chrome use them. Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Camera, then Microphone. Choose Allow only while using the app, or Ask every time.
- Chrome lets the site use them. In Chrome, tap ⋮ → Settings → Site settings → Camera (then Microphone) and make sure omlet.site isn't in the blocked list.
When you open Omlet from the icon, Chrome asks for camera and microphone access. Tap Allow. If you chose a one-time option, you'll be asked again next time, which is expected.
After changing a permission, close the app from your recent apps screen and open it again so the change takes effect.
On Android 12 and later, also check the Camera access and Microphone access tiles in Quick Settings, the panel you pull down from the top of the screen. When either is off, no app can use that device, including Chrome and anything installed from it.
More Android-specific camera fixes are in our page on random video chat on Android.
Other Android browsers
Most Android browsers can add a site to your Home screen, but they put the option in different places. Names may differ slightly by version:
- Samsung Internet: open the menu, then look for Add page to → Home screen. Some versions also show an install icon in the address bar.
- Microsoft Edge: open the menu and look for Add to phone or a similar option.
- Firefox: open the ⋮ menu and look for Install or Add to Home screen.
- Other browsers: check the main menu for Install, Add to Home screen or Add to phone.
Not every browser creates a full app window; some only add a shortcut that opens a normal tab. If that happens, Chrome is the most reliable option.
Remember that each browser keeps its own data. If you install Omlet from Samsung Internet, its settings and any country filter you buy live in Samsung Internet, not Chrome.
How to uninstall a web app on Android
- Touch and hold the app's icon.
- Tap App info (or the ⓘ icon), then Uninstall. On some launchers you can drag the icon to Uninstall at the top of the screen instead.
- Alternatively, open Settings → Apps, find the app in the list, and tap Uninstall.
To remove only a Home screen shortcut, touch and hold it and choose Remove. Uninstalling the app removes the icon and window, but the site's data stays in Chrome.
To wipe that too, see how to clear site data for one website. On Omlet, clearing site data also resets your device identifier and removes a country filter bought in that browser, so only do it if you mean to.
Using Omlet as an installed app
- Open it from the icon, allow the camera and microphone, and press Start to meet someone. Next moves on; Stop ends the chat.
- Portrait and landscape both work. Hold or prop the phone whichever way frames your face best.
- Plug in for long sessions. Video chat keeps the camera, screen and radio busy, which drains the battery.
- Use Wi-Fi when you can. Live video uses far more data than ordinary browsing.
- There's no account to sign in to, and nothing else to install.
Want it on a laptop too? See how to install a web app on Windows or Mac. Setting up an iPhone instead? Follow the iPhone install steps. For an overview of how Omlet works as an app, read about the random video chat app you install from the browser.