What are the pros and cons of installing PWAs? (lemmy.pe1uca.dev)

submitted 2 years ago by pe1uca@lemmy.pe1uca.dev to c/privacyguides@lemmy.one

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I'm wondering if using the website or installing a PWA would be the same from a privacy point of view.
I'm using Firefox with uBlock origin, so I'm wondering what tracking information the site could get if I allow the PWA.

Also in MDN it says the app can integrate with other installed apps, so can the site know more information about my phone when installing the PWA?

Should I continue to just use websites to prevent as much tracking as possible?

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[-] BrikoX@vlemmy.net 11 points 2 years ago

Biggest con is the notifications, they are getting more support lately, but it's still lackluster. In certain use case the offline mode can be a big pro.

[-] pe1uca@lemmy.pe1uca.dev 3 points 2 years ago

From UX point of view I agree, but I was asking about privacy.

[-] valpackett 6 points 2 years ago

On Firefox Android, adding to home screen is basically just a shortcut to open a very slightly app-ier tab (no browser toolbar, notification to copy the URL). Otherwise it's equivalent to normal browsing, so yes, your extensions work as usual. (Just checked myself with Tampermonkey).

No, there's no additional information about your phone, that doesn't exist.

[-] pe1uca@lemmy.pe1uca.dev 1 points 2 years ago

Ah, nice!
My main concern was the extensions to keep uBlock origin working.

just a shortcut to open a very slightly app-ier tab

Yeah, that's what I guessing it'll happen and it works fine for me.

[-] Whooping_Seal@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 years ago

This will depend on browser. With Safari on my iPad, extensions do not apply to PWA installed. I was hoping I could still use some userscripts with Lemmy but they do not function with the PWA and only function if I open the website properly.

[-] JoeKrogan@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

A major pro is isolation. They have less permissions and you can block what they can access and block lots of trackers and cookies . Apps have much more permissions and have lots of trackers built in.

[-] lemann@lemmy.one 3 points 2 years ago

Isolation is a big one for me - my device is rooted and has broken attestation so a lot of proprietary apps don't work.

Using the PWA version (online banking, uber and more) allows me to use those services without them poking around in my phone's filesystem checking for root.

[-] Semmelstulle@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago

Pros:

quick
Auto Updates when reloaded
offline cache
everywhere the same layout

Cons:

usually isolated windows, eg. with Safari none of your extensions will be applied
missing OS features like widgets that full blown apps can use
if you're on a website there is no "open in PWA", just open in apps or using the browser separately

I don't know anything about making PWAs integrating with other apps though.

[-] pe1uca@lemmy.pe1uca.dev 2 points 2 years ago

These seem more about user experience not about privacy.

Also, the extensions work properly in Firefox for android (I don't know about the other browsers)

this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023

37 points (100.0% liked)

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