Progressive Web Apps might be a huge deal in the future for
Windows 10’s app store and Microsoft is slowly updating its web
services with Progressive Web Apps features, such as offline
mode support and push notifications. However, right now, many
of the sites and Microsoft services we use simply aren’t proper
PWA.
It appears that Microsoft’s OneDrive will finally become a
full-fledged Progressive Web App in July. As a proper web app,
OneDrive can be “installed” on Windows 10 and other devices. By
installing OneDrive PWA on your PC, Mac, or Chromebook, you can
treat that online storage website more like a native app.
OneDrive PWA will ditch the traditional address bar at the top
of the page and there won’t be any tabs, which means everything
will look more like a native app. According to the updated
roadmap,
OneDrive PWA will be supported in all popular browsers like
Microsoft Edge, Chrome and Firefox.
“After you install the web version of OneDrive as a Progressive
Web App, you can launch it from your desktop, and it will work
the same way as it does in your web browser,” Microsoft said.
When asked, Microsoft said it is planning to begin rolling out
the OneDrive PWA update in early July and complete the rollout
by the end of the same month.
In theory, OneDrive PWA can also be installed on mobile
devices, but Microsoft said that the web app has been optimized
for Windows 10 and macOS only, which suggests the experience
won’t be nearly as good as the standard OneDrive mobile app.
This is good news for those who have been opposed to OneDrive’s
native apps on Windows 10 or macOS. With this change, the
website will feel more like installed programs on Windows and
Mac.
When OneDrive is updated with PWA features, a new icon will
appear directly in the Omnibox or address bar of the browser,
with users prompted to “Install app.” It’s worth noting that
this differs from the existing “Install” option in the
browser’s main menu, which is available for all websites.
Likewise, a large OneDrive logo will also appear when you open
the web app.
In addition to OneDrive PWA, Microsoft is also believed to be
working on a
new web-based Microsoft Teams client and
Outlook client for Windows 10 and other platforms.
