App Foundation: Lifecycle

Application Lifecycle

Example: news app

Native	Web
Installable (engagement+)	No installation needed (shareability+)
Available offline, background sync	Primarily on-line experience
Deeper hardware integration	Privacy guarantees
Alerts (engagement+)
Rich	Reach

Install

• ⌛ Manifest for Web apps:
  • icon in app launcher
  • splash screen
  • UI mode (e.g. fullscreen)
  • Catch https://news.example.org URLs

Key: ✓ Existing solution; ⌛ in progress; ❓ early/exploratory work; ✗ no active work

Share

• ⌛ Packaging Web content

Offline

• ✓ Application Cache (but not without issues)
• ⌛ Service Worker
  • Offline
  • Increased on-line perfs
  • esp. in poor network conditions
  • HTTPs-only
• ❓ Background sync
• ❓ Storage quota management
• ❓ Upgraded storage (WHATWG)

Notifications

• ✓ Local Notifications
• ⌛ Push notifications (but open protocol missing)
• ❓ Geo-based notifications (geofencing)
• ❓ Scheduled tasks

Hands-free usage

e.g. cooking recipe

• ❓ Wake-lock API

Reduced resources usage

• ✓ Detect foreground activity
• ⌛ Detect battery level

More lifecyle events?

• ✗ App lifecycle and events (sysapps)
• ✗ Events vary from one device to another (e.g. cars)

Feedback needed

• Is this the right scope?
• Are there work items that need accelerated development?
• What are the next big things we need to be looking at?