HowTo: Mobile App
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Let's face it... it's the 21st century. A lot of our traffic on Spaffnerds comes from people on the desktop but a bunch comes from mobile as well. Chances are you've got a smartphone and chances are you care about somebody replying to your post with the ever important message that you are "Killing It."
I'm sure you're asking yourself, "Self, what's the best way for me to use the Spaffnerds site on my mobile device." This topic seeks to help you answer that question.
Mobile "App" (kind of)
Spaffnerds doesn't have a mobile app and probably never will. Instead, it's what's known as a "Progressive Web App." The website itself is designed to be fully responsive and mobile friendly. Mobile isn't a second rate experience around these parts. With that said, you can easily create a "Home Screen Shortcut" on both Android and IOS that will function much like a dedicated app. Follow the instructions below.
Why do I want this?
- You'll have an App on your home screen that jumps directly into Spaffnerds. No browsing around, typing URLs, or whatever. Just tap and go.
- Browser buttons and url bar go away. This lets you maximize your screen space for Spaffnerds content.
- Visual elements are cached. This increases performance and decreases (minimal) data usage.
- You can 'kill' the Spaffnerds app without killing the rest of the browser. You know when you double tap the home button (IOS) or hit the square button (Android) and swipe to kill? Well Spaffnerds will be its own window to swipe.
- Overall this will be a more 'native' feel. It's just like an app!
IOS "Add To Home Screen" HowTo:
On IOS your only option is to use Safari to set this up. Don't worry if you're a Chrome user, you really won't notice the impact here.
- Launch Safari.
- Browse to https://spaffnerds.com/
- At the bottom of Safari you'll see 5 buttons. The middle one is a box with an arrow pointing up. Tap that button.
- A menu will come up. The right most option is a plus sign in a box. It says "Add to home screen." Tap that button.
- You will see a panel come up with the Spaffnerds logo on the left and some descriptive text on the right. In the top right of the screen you'll see the word "Add". Tap the word "Add."
- You will be transported to your home screen and you will see a new app. You now have the Spaffnerds app on your home screen.
If you decide you want to remove the app you can do so in the same way you remove any IOS app. Long press the app then tap the "X" in the top right corner of the app you want to remove.
Here's a video of the app install process documented above. It is less than 2 minutes long and it couldn't be more simple:
Spaffnerds IOS Home Screen HowTo – 01:54
— SpaffnerdsAndroid "Add To Home Screen" HowTo:
On Android you can setup a home screen app using Chrome.
- Launch Chrome
- Browse to https://spaffnerds.com/
- In the top right you'll see the "three dots menu." Tap it.
- One of the options in the list is "Add to Home screen." Tap it.
- A window will come up with an "Add" button. Tap the "Add" button.
- A message will appear at the bottom of the screen letting you know that the app was added.
- Tap the home "Circle" button to return to the home screen.
- You should see a Spaffnerds app on your home screen.
- Note: This is just a shortcut on the home screen. You will not see the Spaffnerds app in the app drawer.
If you decide you want to remove the app you can do so in the same way you remove any Android app shortcut that is on your home screen. Long press the app then drag it to the top of the screen where it says "Remove".
Here's a video of the app install process documented above. It is less than 2 minutes long and it couldn't be more simple:
Spaffnerds Android Home Screen HowTo – 01:30
— Spaffnerds -
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