Install WhoAmI as an app on iPhone, Android, and desktop

The short version

WhoAmI can live on your home screen or desktop just like a regular app, with its own icon, opening full screen in a single tap, no app store needed. It's called a "progressive web app" (PWA), and installing it takes about 15 seconds. Here's exactly how on each device.

What's actually happening

Think of it like saving a favorite shop's phone number as a contact instead of looking it up every time. The website is the same, but now it has a shortcut with a proper icon, and it opens in its own clean window without the browser's address bar and buttons cluttering the screen.

Nothing is downloaded from an app store, and it doesn't take up much space. You're really just teaching your device to treat this website like an app.

Why it matters to you

• One tap to run your checks, instead of opening a browser and typing the address.
• It opens full screen, so it feels and looks like a normal app.
• No app store account, no big download, and it updates itself automatically when the site does.

How to install it

On an iPhone or iPad (you must use Safari)

1. Open this website in Safari (this won't work in Chrome on an iPhone).
2. Tap the Share button, the square with an arrow pointing up, at the bottom of the screen (or top on an iPad).
3. Scroll down the list and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Tap Add in the top corner. The WhoAmI icon now appears on your home screen.

On an Android phone (Chrome)

1. Open this website in Chrome.
2. You may see a banner or a pop-up offering to Install the app, if so, tap it and you're done.
3. If not, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
4. Tap Add to Home screen (or Install app), then tap Install or Add to confirm.

On a computer (Chrome or Edge)

1. Open this website in Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
2. Look at the right end of the address bar for a small install icon (it looks like a little screen or monitor with a down-arrow).
3. Click it, then click Install. (In Edge you can also use the three-dot menu, then Apps, then Install this site as an app.)
4. WhoAmI opens in its own window and gets added to your Start menu (Windows) or Applications/Launchpad (Mac).

How to check it worked

Close the browser entirely, then tap or click the new WhoAmI icon on your home screen, Start menu, or Applications. It should open in its own full-screen window without the usual browser address bar across the top. That clean, app-like window is how you know it installed correctly.

If you don't see an install option

A couple of common reasons: on an iPhone you must be in Safari, not Chrome or another browser. On a computer, make sure you're using Chrome or Edge (Firefox and Safari on Mac handle this differently or not at all). And if you've already installed it, the install option naturally disappears, because it's done. If that's your case, you're all set, just launch it from your home screen or apps list. There's nothing else to do and nothing to buy.

Want to go further?

The Advanced version explains what a PWA actually is (manifest, service worker, offline caching), browser support differences, how updates propagate, and how to remove it cleanly.

Summary

Installing WhoAmI as a Progressive Web App (PWA) registers it with the OS so it launches in a standalone window with its own icon, backed by a web app manifest and a service worker. Install paths differ by platform: iOS/iPadOS requires Safari's "Add to Home Screen," Android Chrome offers a true install (WebAPK), and Chromium desktop (Chrome/Edge) installs from an address-bar affordance. There's no app store, no separate binary, and updates follow the live site.

What's actually happening

• Web app manifest declares name, icons, start_url, scope, theme_color, and display (typically standalone), which is what makes the installed app open chromeless.
• Service worker is a background script that can cache the app shell and assets, enabling fast loads and limited offline use, and is a prerequisite for installability on most engines.
• Install result: on Android, Chrome generates a WebAPK (a real, signed package) so the app appears in the launcher and app settings like a native app. On desktop Chromium it's registered as an app with OS shortcuts. On iOS/iPadOS, Safari creates a home-screen web clip running in a WKWebView-based standalone container.

Why it matters

A PWA gives near-native ergonomics (home-screen icon, standalone window, splash screen, offline shell) without app-store friction, review, or storage overhead, and it updates by simply fetching the latest site assets, no manual update step. For a diagnostics tool you'll re-run often, the one-tap launch and full-screen surface are the practical wins.

How to install, per platform

iOS / iPadOS (Safari only)

1. Open the site in Safari. Third-party browsers on iOS historically could not add to the home screen (installation is a Safari/WebKit capability).
2. Share → Add to Home Screen → confirm. The app launches standalone if the manifest sets display: standalone (or via the legacy apple-mobile-web-app-capable meta).
3. Note iOS constraints: web-clip storage can be evicted, push/background support is more limited than Android, and there's no address-bar install prompt.

Android (Chrome / Chromium browsers)

1. Open in Chrome; if installability criteria are met (manifest + service worker + HTTPS), Chrome surfaces an Install prompt or an "Add to Home screen" entry in the menu.
2. Accept to generate a WebAPK; the app then behaves like a native app (launcher icon, app info, intent handling).
3. Other Chromium browsers (Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet) offer equivalent menu items; Firefox Android uses "Add to Home screen" as a shortcut with fewer PWA behaviors.

Desktop (Chrome / Edge on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Linux)

1. Look for the install icon in the address bar (monitor-with-arrow), or Chrome menu → Cast, save, and share / Install <app>; Edge menu → Apps → Install this site as an app.
2. The installed app gets OS shortcuts (Start menu / Applications / Launchpad) and runs in its own window. Firefox desktop and Safari macOS don't install PWAs the same way (Safari 17+ on macOS Sonoma added "Add to Dock," which is similar).

How to verify

Launch from the OS (not the browser) and confirm a standalone window with no browser chrome. On desktop Chrome, visit chrome://apps to see it listed. In DevTools → Application, confirm the Manifest parses and a Service Worker is "activated and running." On Android, check the app appears in Settings → Apps (a WebAPK, not just a shortcut). Toggling offline in DevTools and reloading tests the cached shell.

If it's already installed (or won't offer to install)

If no install affordance appears, it's usually one of: you're on iOS outside Safari; you're on desktop Firefox/Safari where the flow differs; the app is already installed (browsers suppress the prompt once installed); or installability criteria (HTTPS, manifest, service worker) aren't currently met on your connection. If it's already installed, you're done, launch it from the OS. To reinstall cleanly, remove it first (below) and reload the site.

Want to go further?

To uninstall: Android, long-press the icon → Uninstall/Remove (removes the WebAPK); desktop Chrome, open the app → menu → Uninstall, or manage at chrome://apps; iOS, long-press the home-screen icon → Remove. For developers, audit installability and offline behavior with Lighthouse, review the manifest's display, icons (maskable included), and scope, and use the beforeinstallprompt event to offer a custom in-page install button on Chromium.