Quick and Easy: Add Websites to Your iPhone and Android Home Screen

Did you know that you can add website shortcuts to your Android phone, iPhone, or iPad home screen? This allows for quick and easy access to your favorite websites, and in some cases, you can even make them work like apps. Here’s how to do it:

Adding a Website to the Home Screen on iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad and go to the website you want to add to the home screen.
2. Tap the share button (an up arrow within a square) in the toolbar.
3. Scroll through the options and tap “Add to Home Screen.” If you don’t see this option, you can add it from the “Edit Actions” menu at the bottom.
4. Edit the name for the shortcut and tap “Add.”

The website shortcut will now appear on your home screen, and you can move it around or place it in folders, just like any other app icon. However, it won’t appear in the App Library.

Adding a Website to the Android Home Screen:

Unlike the iPhone, you can add websites to the Android home screen using various browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox. Here’s how to do it using Google Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome and navigate to the website you want to add.
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.
3. Select “Add to Home Screen” from the menu.
4. Edit the name for the shortcut and tap “Add.”
5. A pop-up from your home screen launcher will appear. Drag the icon to the home screen or tap “Add to Home Screen” to automatically add it.

For Microsoft Edge, select “Add to Phone” from the three-dot menu icon. In Mozilla Firefox, tap the three-dot menu icon and choose “Add to Home Screen.”

The website shortcut will be added to your Android home screen. You can move it around, create folders, and it won’t appear in the app drawer.

Turning a Website into an App on iPhone or iPad:

If you want a website to open in its own instance, like a native app, you can turn it into a progressive web app on your iPhone or iPad. Here’s how:

1. Open Safari and go to the web app you want to place on the home screen.
2. Tap the share button (an up arrow within a square) in the toolbar.
3. Select “Add to Home Screen” from the options. If you don’t see it, tap “Edit Actions” at the bottom and add it.
4. Customize the name of the shortcut if desired and tap “Add.”

The web app will now appear on your home screen. When you launch it, it will open as its own independent instance, not just a tab in Safari.

Turning a Website into an App on Android:

On Android, you can “install” progressive web apps in a similar way to native apps. This allows them to open in their own instance. Here’s how:

1. If a web app prompts you to install it, simply tap the “Install” button.
2. In Google Chrome, tap the three-dot menu icon and choose “Install App.”
3. Web apps installed from Chrome will appear in the app drawer and the home screen, and they will even show up in the Android share menu.
4. For Microsoft Edge, the installed web apps will only appear on the home screen but will still open as independent instances, similar to native apps.

This trick is a great time-saver for frequently accessed websites. As more web apps become available, the need for native apps diminishes.

If you’re using a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, you can add website shortcuts to your taskbar. Mac users can pin websites as apps to their dock as well.

Here are the key-takeaways to add a website to the home screen on iPhone and Android:

1. On iPhone, open Safari, tap the share button, and select “Add to Home Screen.” On Android, open Chrome, Edge, or Firefox and choose “Add to Home Screen” or “Add to Phone.”
2. This process also applies to installing web apps on both iPhone and Android.

Remember, for iPhone use Safari, and for Android, you can use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.