WebView vs PWA

It's getting harder and harder to profitably upload companies to WebView. Massive cleanups in the stores have become commonplace for web sites using WebView. Each re-moderation attracts the attention of support and often leads to bans. It is often impossible to redirect traffic afterwards, so a new application has to be created. This entails additional costs, a week-long wait for the application to be verified in the store and unnecessary nerves.

Everywhere they are already talking about the need to switch to PWAs. Maybe it's time for WebView fans to take heed? Let's try to back up this thought with concrete facts that are relevant today.

Nails in WebView's coffin

Over time, WebView's shortcomings began to increasingly affect their profits. The developers of PWA technology took these problems into account and brought a more competitive product to the market. Those left with WebView continue to face many challenges.

Problems with ASO

Storrs prohibit downloading applications related to gambling. Therefore, webs are forced to use stubs - simple games with limited features that disguise the app for downloading. Over time, real users encounter these stubs and quickly downgrade the app through negative reviews.

Support notices customer dissatisfaction, starts to look into it, and removes the app from the store.

Low performance

WebView has at least three problems that negatively impact the user experience:

Network dependency. The lower the connection speed, the slower the interface loads, forcing the user to look at the white screen and distract from the game.

Complex optimization. Each device has its own screen resolution, so WebView needs to be adapted to the most popular among the target audience. Otherwise, the app will be displayed incorrectly, which will reduce engagement. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the Android version and its peculiarities for the correct operation of the application. On older versions, many features may not be available.

High memory and power consumption. WebView embeds an entire browser into the app, which requires a lot of RAM and slows down the device. It also increases power consumption, reducing application usage time.

The average PWA weighs less than 1MB, so even on the slowest internet, the application will load in less than a minute. WebViews with their 5-15 MB weight and even more so native applications with 30-40 MB+ weight cannot boast such fast loading speed.

Google's research shows that if a page takes more than three seconds to load, more than 53% of users will abandon the page. Obviously, if an app takes several minutes to download, the download will be canceled or the user will forget about it after installing it. For example, Pinterest launched a web version of its app and reduced the download time from 23 seconds to 5.6 seconds. This resulted in a 60% increase in retention, a 40% rise in average time spent using the service, and a 44% increase in revenue.

Difficulty in updating functionality

If a buyer wants to improve the WebView application, remove bugs or change features, they will have to go through the moderation process all over again.

However, this is not the only difficulty. Application sellers and solo developers know how much money is made in the world of gambling. That's why every revision is an additional expense for the web, as no one will work for free. And there is no guarantee that the application will not be blocked during the next moderation. PWA-apps are updated independently, so the user does not have to wait for downloading and installing updates. This allows you to change creatives, improve design or redesign buttons without distracting players.

Why aren't Webview's problems of concern to PWA?

The disadvantages listed above do not apply to PWAs. The Google team that developed the PWA concept has customized the technology to provide the best user experience possible. Already today, buyers can take full advantage of PWAs as they:

Can work offline. In prospective Tier-3 countries, internet speeds are often slow or the network may go down completely. PWAs can easily function offline, allowing users to enjoy the game even when there is no signal.
No moderation required. PWAs are deployed on landing pages stylized to look like pages from the store, so they are not afraid of market cleanups or bans from Google Play. To work with WebView, you need to pass moderation in Google Play or App Store, which takes up to a week. This process will have to be repeated for each new apk and after making changes. During this time, competitors may have time to occupy a profitable niche.
Allow for aggressive design. With PWAs, the web decides which creatives and approaches to use. WebView requires plug-in applications, as it is forbidden to upload casinos to the app store. Sooner or later, moderation detects and removes them from the store.
Send customized push notifications to users. Properly customized push notifications increase not only the quality of the audience in the eyes of the advertiser, but also the retention of users. This allows the web to earn more without additional costs.
Give access to the hardware of the device. This allows a QR code scanner or social media to be integrated into the app so users can share their winnings with friends. PWA can utilize elements of the device hardware, such as GPS or camera, which is not available with WebView.

Conclusion

Getting a good ROI with WebView is becoming increasingly difficult. Large application size, poor usability and long loading times are discouraging players. The average annual growth of 31.9% in the PWA application market confirms that this technology is becoming more and more in demand.