Camera & setup
How to Install a Web App on iPhone
Here's how to install a web app on iPhone: open the site in Safari, tap the Share button, choose Add to Home Screen, check the name, and tap Add. The site gets its own icon and opens full screen like an app, with nothing to download.
We'll use Omlet (omlet.site), a free one-on-one video chat that runs in the browser, as the example, but the steps work for any website. Menu names and button positions may differ slightly between iOS versions.
Add to Home Screen on iPhone, step by step
- Open Safari and go to omlet.site, or whichever site you want to install.
- Tap the Share button, the square with an arrow pointing up. Depending on your iOS version and Safari layout, it's in the toolbar or behind the ••• (More) button next to the address bar.
- Scroll down the share sheet and tap Add to Home Screen.
- If you see an Open as Web App switch, leave it on so the site opens in its own window instead of a Safari tab.
- Edit the name if you like. Short names fit under the icon without being cut off.
- Tap Add. The icon appears on your Home Screen; touch and hold it to move it where you want.
Can't find Add to Home Screen? Scroll to the very bottom of the share sheet and tap Edit Actions, then add it to your Favorites so it appears near the top next time.
If the new icon opens a normal Safari tab with the address bar showing, it was saved as a bookmark rather than a web app. Remove it and add it again, this time with Open as Web App switched on if your iOS version shows that option.
Install a PWA on iPhone from Chrome, Edge or Firefox
Sites that support installing are called progressive web apps, or PWAs. If you're curious how they differ from regular apps, see what a progressive web app is.
On iOS 16.4 and later, other browsers can add sites to the Home Screen too, where the browser supports it. In Chrome, for example, tap the Share icon in the address bar, then Add to Home Screen. Other browsers keep the option in their own share menus.
If your browser doesn't offer it, open the same address in Safari and follow the steps above. The installed result works the same way.
What changes when you open it from the icon
| In a Safari tab | From the Home Screen icon | |
|---|---|---|
| Address bar and tabs | Visible | Hidden; the site fills the screen |
| App Switcher | Part of Safari | Shows as its own app |
| Updates | Always the current version | Also always current; the site updates itself |
| Website data | Shared with your Safari tabs | Usually kept separate from Safari |
| Storage used | None extra | Very little; there's no app download |
That website data row matters more than it looks. Anything a site saved in Safari, such as a login or settings, may not appear in the Home Screen version.
For Omlet, that means you may be asked to confirm you're 18+ again in the Home Screen app. The optional country filter is also tied to the browser where you bought it, so a purchase made in a Safari tab may not carry over. If you plan to buy it, install first and buy it in the version you'll actually use.
Allow camera and microphone in the Home Screen app
A video chat needs your camera and microphone. The first time you open Omlet from the icon, iOS asks whether omlet.site can use them. Tap Allow for both. Web apps on iPhone may ask again in later sessions, which is normal.
If you tapped Don't Allow, or the preview stays black:
- Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Camera, and set it to Ask or Allow. Do the same for Microphone. On older iOS versions, it's Settings → Safari. Home Screen web apps generally follow these settings.
- Check Screen Time: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions. If restrictions are on, make sure the camera is allowed.
- Close the web app fully by swiping it away in the App Switcher, then open it again from the icon.
- Still stuck? Try the site in a regular Safari tab. If the camera works there, remove the icon and add it again.
Our page on random video chat on iPhone covers more camera and microphone fixes specific to iOS.
Get the most out of the installed app
- Give it a good spot. Put the icon in your Dock or on your first Home Screen so it's one tap away.
- Prop the phone up. A steady phone at eye level looks far better than one in your hand.
- Light your face. If you chat after dark, a small clip-on light can help; our guide on whether a ring light is worth it weighs it against free options.
- Silence interruptions. Turn on a Focus mode such as Do Not Disturb so alerts don't cover the screen mid-chat.
- Use Wi-Fi for long chats. Live video uses far more data than ordinary browsing, and a strong signal also helps your battery.
- Nothing to sign in to. Omlet has no account, so the app opens straight to the Start button.
For a closer look at how Omlet works once installed, see the random video chat app you install from the browser.
How to remove a web app from your iPhone
- Touch and hold the web app's icon on the Home Screen.
- Tap the remove option. Depending on your iOS version, it says Delete Bookmark or Remove App.
- Confirm. If you're offered a choice, pick the option that deletes it rather than just hiding it from the Home Screen.
Removing the icon usually also clears the data that web app saved, including a country filter bought inside it. Your Safari tabs, bookmarks and history aren't affected.
Setting up another phone? Here's how to install a web app on Android.