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How to install your portal as an app on your phone or computer

Add your portal to your Home Screen, dock or taskbar so it opens like an app, and turn on push notifications.

Written by Gabriel Lecointere

Use case: You want to open your portal in one tap from your phone's Home Screen or your computer's dock or taskbar, and get notified about new comments and updates even when the portal is closed. You can install the portal as an app straight from your browser. There is nothing to download from the App Store or Google Play.

What you get

  • The portal opens in its own window, with the portal's name and icon and without the browser's address bar.

  • Push notifications for everything that appears in your notification bell, such as new requests, comments, mentions and chat messages, including on iPhone and iPad.

  • Always the latest version. The app loads the portal itself, so there are no updates to install.

  • If you lose your connection, the app shows a You are offline page with a Try again button.

Install on iPhone or iPad

  1. Open your portal in Safari.

  2. Tap the Share button. If you don't see it at the bottom of the screen, tap ••• first, then Share.

  3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.

  4. If you see Open as Web App, keep it turned on. Then tap Add.

  5. Open the portal from its new icon on your Home Screen and sign in.

Good to know: If Add to Home Screen isn't in the list, scroll to the bottom of the Share menu, tap Edit Actions and add it. Chrome and Edge on iPhone also have Add to Home Screen in their Share menu.

Install on Android

  1. Open your portal in Chrome.

  2. Tap ⋮ at the top right, then Add to Home screen. On some phones it's called Install app.

  3. Tap Install.

Chrome may also offer to install the portal by itself, with a banner at the bottom of the screen.

Install on a computer

  • Chrome: click the install icon at the right end of the address bar, then Install. You can also open ⋮ > Cast, save, and share > Install page as app.

  • Edge: open ⋯ > Apps > Install this site as an app.

  • Safari on Mac (macOS Sonoma or later): choose File > Add to Dock.

Turn on notifications

  1. Open the installed app. A Turn on notifications banner appears at the bottom of the screen.

  2. Tap Turn on, then Allow when your phone or browser asks.

On Android and computers, the banner also appears in the browser, so you can turn on notifications without installing. On iPhone and iPad, notifications only work in the installed app (iOS 16.4 or later), so the banner doesn't appear in Safari.

If you tapped Not now, or want to turn notifications off later, go to Settings > Profile and account > Notification preferences and use the Push notifications switch under This device. The switch only changes the device you're using. Which notifications you get follows the In app column on the same page. Mentions are always sent.

If notifications don't arrive

  • On iPhone or iPad: make sure you opened the portal from its Home Screen icon, not from Safari. If notifications are blocked, go to your iPhone Settings > Notifications, tap the portal's name and turn on Allow Notifications.

  • On Android or a computer: allow notifications for the portal's website in your browser settings, then reload the page.

  • Check that the notification is turned on in the In app column of Settings > Profile and account > Notification preferences.

  • Check that Focus or Do Not Disturb is off on your device.

Remove the app

  • iPhone, iPad or Android: touch and hold the icon, then tap Remove App (iPhone and iPad) or Uninstall (Android).

  • Chrome or Edge on a computer: open the app, open its menu and choose Uninstall.

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