# Does the SDMB have its own phone app?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [August 17, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828 "2024-08-17T13:29:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/1 "2024-08-17T13:29:29Z")
A few times lately when I open SDMB on my phone (in Chrome) I get a little pop-up message at the top saying “Install Straight Dope Message Board”. I usually ignore it, but it happened again this morning and I got curious, so I went to the Google Play Store and searched for “Straight Dope” but got no hits. So, what exactly is my phone trying to get me to install? (Samsung Galaxy S23 FE if it makes a difference.) And maybe more importantly, _who_ is trying to get me to install it? The Straight Dope? Samsung? Google?
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### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/2 "2024-08-17T13:33:38Z")
That’s a web app, it’s basically a shortcut to the web site. It’s Discourse (the software running SDMB) that’s offering to install it.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/3 "2024-08-17T13:38:15Z")
Prior thread on this:
> [@Install SDMB app?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/install-sdmb-app/932933):
>
> I noticed this button on my address bar that, if I click on it, offers to install an app for the Straight Dope Message Board. I am running Chrome on Windows 10. Is this a legit thing?
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/4 "2024-08-17T13:44:51Z")
The phone app is how I use SDMB all the time now. Click the button, here I am, here you are.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/5 "2024-08-17T13:59:21Z")
Interesting. I never saw this before I switched to a new phone about a month ago, but the old phone was several Android versions behind so maybe that had something to do with it.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/6 "2024-08-17T14:33:31Z")
I’ve had the same android for years and that popup just started for me recently too. It’d been a couple years since I’d last seen it.
IME, just swipe it upwards to dismiss and after a dozen ish nags it’ll quit bugging you.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/7 "2024-08-17T14:43:04Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#):
>
> That’s a web app, it’s basically a shortcut to the web site. It’s Discourse (the software running SDMB) that’s offering to install it.
Sorta, but not quite. It should actually download a copy of the interface, and run it from the phone.
In this case, that app is useless without you being online, since it needs to download all the posts and such. So it is effectively just like a bookmark (as your phone will cache the interface stuff). But you might download a webapp that can be used offline–like a card game or something.
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### Author:  [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/8 "2024-08-17T16:08:07Z")
> **[Progressive web app](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_web_app)**
>
> A progressive web application (PWA), or progressive web app, is a type of application software delivered through the web, built using common web technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WebAssembly. It is intended to work on any platform with a standards-compliant browser, including desktop and mobile devices.
> Since a progressive web app is a type of webpage or website known as a web application, it does not require separate bundling or distribution. Developers can simply publish the we...
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/9 "2024-08-17T17:26:56Z")
Every time my Samsung Galaxy phone has a system update, all of my web app icons disappear and have to be reinstalled. I like having the shortcut icons on my home screen, but it’s a nuisance to have to keep reinstalling them.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/10 "2024-08-17T18:35:07Z")
Genuine internet shortcuts should not be disappearing on updates. If you browse to the page in your browser and choose to save the page on your homepage, does that survive an update? All mine do on my Samsung Galaxy.
No icons representing URLs are not true PWA web apps, but the rest of the truth is those PWA things actually don’t benefit you the user. They’re just a way for a commercial entity to deliver a web UI on the cheap that makes it harder for you to click away to their competitor.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2024, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/11 "2024-11-27T02:37:18Z")
> [@bobot](#):
>
> The phone app is how I use SDMB all the time now
Yep likewise. And I’m confused by what some here are saying; it appears as a discrete apk on my phone, not as an app within chrome.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2024, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/12 "2024-11-27T02:41:29Z")
I’ve had it forever and on my tablet.
The typing address only needed on the laptop.
It’s not scary. Won’t bite you.
I’ve not found any loss of anything.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/13 "2024-12-02T20:56:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#):
>
> And I’m confused by what some here are saying; it appears as a discrete apk on my phone, not as an app within chrome.
There is no such thing as an SDMB mobile app. Try finding it in Google Play or the Apple App Store. You won’t, because it doesn’t exist. It’s a “web app” rather than a real app.
And there was yet another discussion of this issue that happened when this thread went dormant and before this zombie was revived:
> [@Can't find the Straight Dope app in Google Play](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-find-the-straight-dope-app-in-google-play/1008511):
>
> Halp! I got a new phone yesterday, and had to delete a bunch of apps off my old phone to transfer my data to the new one. One of which was the SD app; I figured I’d just download it again on my shiny new toy. But I can’t find it in the Google Play store, under any search term. Any idea where I can get it?
The problem stemmed from the mistaken belief that this is a real mobile app that you can download when it isn’t. Most of the same answers here are seen there.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/14 "2024-12-02T21:05:17Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> There is no such thing as an SDMB mobile app. Try finding it in Google Play or the Apple App Store. You won’t, because it doesn’t exist. It’s a “web app” rather than a real app.
Ok, let me check I understand. So the straight dope app I have on my phone, that appears in the list of apps on my phone, and can be deleted independently…is really a wrapper, and all it is doing is opening a web browser, and opening Straight Dope in fullscreen.
Ok…to me, I don’t really care about the distinction, as this pseudo-app works like a real app, and much better than previous stuff like Tapatalk. I wish I knew how I set this up on my phone though, as it would be great to have this on my other mobile devices.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/15 "2024-12-02T21:07:36Z")
> [@Mijin](#):
>
> I wish I knew how I set this up on my phone though, as it would be great to have this on my other mobile devices.
If you have an Android device, I believe the instructions here should work:
> **[Use web apps - Computer - Google Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9658361)**
>
> A web app is an app built for the web that you can access on any device. You can use web apps to have a website work as an app and access it on your computer or mobile devices through the launcher or
ETA: I followed the instructions on my iPhone using Safari, and they still worked for me.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-sdmb-have-its-own-phone-app/1005828/16 "2024-12-02T21:15:01Z")
Ah great, thanks 👍