How to Convert Website into Desktop and Mobile App
Turn a website into an Android app
1. To create an Android web app, we’ll be using a third-party app called Native Alpha.
2. First, download the Native Alpha app from the official GitHub download page. Make sure to download the latest version of the app.
3. Install it just like you would install any app on your Android device. You may have to grant sideloading permissions.
4. Launch the app and you’ll see a prompt asking to “Add your first web app.”
5. Open the web page that you want to turn into a web application. Copy the entire website URL.
6. Now paste the URL into your first Add web application field and hit the OK button. This will automatically create a web icon.
7. You can also set a custom web application icon and change the shortcut title. Once everything is set up, once again hit the agree button. Download Native Alpha Adjusting the features of the Native Alpha web app also has other options and features. Notably, you can allow JavaScript, HTTP, location access, and accept third-party cookies in the app.
There’s data saving mode, choose not to load images, set pages to auto-refresh, and more. On top of that, there’s an ad blocker built in, if you want to have it in the web app.
After adjusting the settings, tap the Save button. That’s it! You’ve just turned a website into a full-screen web app on your Android phone. It works like an app but is less demanding on the phone’s resources.
Turn Websites into iOS Apps
To create a web app of a website on iOS, we’ll be using Siri Shortcuts.
Here are the steps:
1. Download the Shortcuts app from the App Store on your iOS device and install it.
2. Open the Shortcuts app and go to My Shortcuts Options. Run the Shortcut URL App.
3. Enter a name for the shortcut and press the Done button.
4. Enter the URL you copied earlier and tap Done again.
5. You will be asked to set the app icon for your web application. Basically, you can put any image you like or choose the logo of the website whose web application you are creating. Select the image as the icon.
6. Now you need to download the configuration profile. Profiles are used by developers to allow iOS users to download and install apps that won’t appear on the App Store.
7. After uploading the web app icon, you will be redirected to the Safari web browser. Here, you will be asked to allow the configuration to be downloaded on your iPhone. Tap the Allow button.
8. Finally, you need to install the downloaded profile. To do that, go to Settings. You will see the Downloaded Profile at the top.
9. Click on it and you will see the profile description. Just click the Download button. Enter your passcode and proceed to the next step.
10. Finally, click Download at the top and again at the bottom. That’s it! Your profile is now installed on your iPhone.
11. The newly created web application shortcut will appear on the home screen.
Turn a website into an app on macOS
You can also easily turn a website into a web app on macOS. For the Mac, we’ll be using a tool called Fluid.
Here are the steps:
1. Download the free version of the Fluid app from the official website.
2. Launch the tool. You will be asked to enter some web app details like URL, web app name, location, web app icon.
3. When everything is done, click the Create button.
4. That’s it! You’ve just converted your favorite website into a quickly accessible web app on macOS.
Turn Websites into Windows Apps
For Windows operating system, there are two methods that you can follow to create web apps for your favorite websites. The first way is to use the Microsoft Edge browser and the second way is to use the Webapp Maker application available in the Microsoft Store.
Let us look at each method, one by one:
Microsoft Edge
1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser on your Windows PC and go to your favorite website.
2. Once you are on the website, click on the 3 Dots or Settings button located in the upper right corner.
3. Go to Settings > Applications > Options Settings.
4. Now enter a meaningful name or whatever you want in the name field. This will display as the web application name.
5. After doing that, press the Download button. That’s it! The web app for the website will be created on your Start screen and menu.
Web App Creator
1. Download the Software Web App Creator from the Microsoft Store and launch it on your PC.
2. You just need to add the URL of the website and the Name of the web application.
3. You can choose whether to launch the application in full screen mode and also choose the color for the application.
4. Now set the web application icon image. You can choose one from your local drive or click the Get Image from Internet button. The second option will get the image from the internet.
5. Finally, click the option Pin Tile to create a web app for your favorite website.
Wrap up: Turn Websites into Web Apps Anywhere
Here are the best ways to convert your favorite websites on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.