Progressive
web app development
in Redwood City

A PWA is a web application that uses modern browser capabilities to deliver app-like experiences — offline functionality, push notifications, home screen installation, hardware access — without going through app stores. Redwood City companies choose PWAs when they need to reach users without app install friction, maintain a single codebase across iOS, Android, and desktop, avoid App Store/Google Play fees for e-commerce transactions, and deploy updates instantly without store review cycles. For many B2B products and content-heavy applications common in Redwood City's market, PWAs are a strategic fit.

We implement the full PWA toolkit: service workers for offline support and background sync, web push notifications (now supported on iOS as of iOS 16.4), home screen installation prompts, IndexedDB for local data persistence, Web Share API for native sharing, Payment Request API for streamlined checkout, and WebRTC for real-time communication where needed. Modern PWAs can deliver experiences that rival native apps for most use cases — particularly for Redwood City B2B applications where app store distribution provides limited value.

PWAs have meaningful limitations we're honest about with Redwood City clients: iOS PWA support lags Android (though closing), access to some device capabilities (advanced camera controls, HealthKit, HomeKit) requires native, App Store presence drives discovery for consumer apps in ways PWAs can't match, and push notification reliability on iOS has been historically inconsistent. For Redwood City consumer apps where App Store discoverability drives acquisition, gaming-adjacent products (near EA's market), or products requiring advanced device capabilities, native apps remain the right choice.

PWA performance follows web performance fundamentals with app-specific additions: efficient bundling and code splitting, lazy loading of non-critical resources, service worker caching strategies tuned to content type, optimistic UI updates, and smooth animations that use CSS transforms rather than layout-triggering properties. For Redwood City PWAs, we benchmark against Google's Core Web Vitals plus PWA-specific metrics — first meaningful paint, time to interactive, offline functionality rigor. The goal is performance that matches native apps for the specific workflows the PWA supports.

Yes — PWAs integrate with enterprise systems using the same API patterns as traditional web apps, with added benefits of offline capability and app-like UX. For Redwood City B2B clients integrating with Salesforce, Oracle Cloud, Box, or other enterprise platforms, PWAs can deliver the field/mobile experience these systems often lack natively. We build PWAs with proper enterprise SSO (SAML, OIDC), role-based access, audit logging, and the security controls Peninsula enterprise buyers require.

PWA discovery requires different strategies than native apps — we implement installability cues at the right moments (not aggressive prompts that feel spammy), use web app manifests with proper branding, support shortcuts for key workflows, and leverage Chrome Web Store and Microsoft Store for broader reach on desktop. For Redwood City B2B clients, we often deploy PWAs as enterprise applications distributed through email or internal portals — bypassing consumer discovery challenges entirely.

iOS PWA support has improved significantly — Safari now supports web push notifications, service workers, and home screen installation with proper manifest files. However, iOS PWAs still have edge-case limitations (some background capabilities, certain APIs) that we design around. For Redwood City clients whose primary iOS users expect near-native experience, we're honest when PWA limitations might impact user satisfaction — sometimes recommending hybrid native/PWA approaches where native apps handle critical mobile flows while PWAs cover broader reach.

PWA projects typically run shorter than native mobile development — 10-14 weeks for a meaningful v1 PWA for Redwood City clients. The unified codebase means you're not duplicating iOS and Android work, and no app store review processes add to timelines. Post-launch, PWA iteration is faster than native — deploying updates reaches all users immediately without store review delays. For Redwood City clients needing to validate a mobile strategy quickly, PWAs are an excellent path to market.