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W3C China's Twenty Years of Endeavor 🎆
MiniApps

Martin Alvarez

AC 2026
Hangzhou - 🇨🇳
20 April 2026

Example of native super-apps with mini-app-like apps: WeChat (CN), Douyin (CN) Alipay (CN), Baidu (CN), 360 (CN), JD (CN), QQ (CN), Little Red Book (CN), Taobao (CN), Toutiao (CN), Rappi (CO), Meituan (CN), DiDi (CN), Grab (SG), Grojek (ID), Paytm (IN), PhonePe (IN), Tata Neu (IN), KakaoTalk (KR), Line (JP), Zalo (VN), Careem (AE), Ayoba (ZA), Revolut (GB), Uber (US), PayPal (US), Instant Game (US), Cash App (US), Max (RU), Telegram (AE). Also PWA and browser as a reference.

Chinese MiniApps as a worldwide reference

Ecosystem of miniapps depending on super-apps, now linked with the PWA (browser as a native super-app, based on standards)

Notes.

Chinese Web IG's idea

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Notes.

(2021) Standardization begins

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Notes.

(2022/23) WDs iterations

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Notes.

(2023) Testing, implementations...

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Notes.

(2024) Re-definition phase starts

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Notes.

The community is
more interested

Timeline of MiniApps Activities

Challenges we are solving

🧬 Lifecycle installation, super-app context,..
📦 Distribution compression, signatures, origin preservation...
🪧 Metadata permissions, setup...
👩‍💻 Reusability components, APIs
🔗 Addressing versions, deeplinking...
🖼️ Widgets across OSs
♿ Accessibility apps more inclusive

Our contribution to WebViews, OS Widgets, AI-generated UIs (Web artifacts), WoT,...

Notes.

Our contribution from MiniApps...

to the future of light apps

Current discussions:

  1. Embedded Web Apps WG
  2. New security model
  3. Adopt isolated contexts concept?
  4. Enable lighter (dedicated) web engines...

Notes.

Thanks!

This presentation:
http://espinr.github.io/talks/2026/0420_MiniApps_W3C20CN