How Can Your School Use a Progressive Web App?

There are many reasons why mobile apps are beneficial for education communication. An app will benefit everyone from administrators to teachers, to families and students. Communication apps for schools provide teachers, students, and parents with a unified location to find all the school information they need. They allow school and district administrators to stay connected with their staff and reduce teacher turnover while promoting parent engagement which leads to student success. Overall school mobile apps simplify the management and distribution of school-to-home communication and provide a convenient location for parents, students, and staff to easily access it. 

With SchoolInfo, your app will be available for your users as both a native app and in a progressive web app (PWA) format. I understand this may not be your expertise, so what does it mean? Let's dive into the differences!

Progressive Web App vs. Native App

Native App

A native app is the traditional app you, as a smartphone user, are familiar with. These apps can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. They are located on the home screen of a smartphone or tablet automatically after downloading and require updates on occasion. Whatever task you're trying to complete on your smartphone, you have to open an app to begin. 

PWA

A PWA is a web page that functions similarly to the native app without having to be downloaded from Apple or Google. They can be accessed from any web browser. Similarly to a native app, they can be added to the home screen of a smartphone or saved to your desktop. Adding the PWA to a home screen requires a different process than simply downloading the app from the store. With only a PWA your app will NOT be found in the Apple or Google Play stores. 

Here are a few examples of when this can be used:

• Parents may want to save this webpage to their desktop on their work computer to conveniently look up important information without having to pull out their phone
• Older devices can access the most current version of your app since updates are not required
• Allow users to access the amazing features of your new app while your Apple Developer Account is being set up

Do I Need an Apple Developer Account?

To launch a native app with SchoolInfo, your organization is required to have an Apple Developer Account. Due to requirements set by Apple, SchoolInfo is unable to establish the account for you and the Apple Developer Account must be available prior to your app being submitted to the Apple Store for review. This is a process that may take some time. We recommend beginning the process to obtain the Apple Developer Account as soon as possible to avoid any potential delays.

With a PWA an Apple Developer Account is required. 

To get the most out of a school communication app and provide the best user experience, utilize both the native app and the PWA. In situations where there are challenges in obtaining the Apple Developer Account, the PWA can provide your users with a mobile app solution to simplify your communication while the account gets set up. With SchoolInfo, both apps are managed from the same dashboard to make maintaining formats easier. 

Highlights of a Branded Mobile App by SchoolInfo

With both a native app and PWA, your school or district's communication will be simpler than ever before. Here are some of the key advantages you will gain access to when you invest in an app for your school by SchoolInfo:

ADA Compliant: Designed with accessibility in mind, teacher-parent communication apps by SchoolInfo are compatible with a comprehensive suite of native iOS and Android accessibility settings and design features to accommodate people with a wide range of special needs including those with physical motor limitations, blindness, low vision, and more. 

Personalization: A branded mobile app offers many personalization options to enhance user experience and ensure users only receive the information they need. Some of the personalization options include choosing how notifications are received and how often, hiding notifications regarding specific topics, translating app information and conversations into preferred languages, or changing display settings to enable dark mode.

Increase Brand Awareness: Your app will be branded specifically to your school to match your logo and colors. The modern design will enhance your credibility within your community by showing that you are up to date with new technology trends and tools. 

Conversations: The Conversations feature within the app brings together the ease and familiarity of text messaging and other popular instant and group messaging platforms with the administrative oversight and controls that are necessary for today’s digital age. 

Document Sharing: The best way to send important documents is through a school app. Instead of families having to search through their email or pile of loose papers, school documents such as your student handbook, policies and guidelines, campus safety plan, forms and more can be easily accessed for viewing, printing, and even sharing in the app.

Interested in learning more about a branded mobile app? Request a meeting with someone on our team today and start streamlining your school's communication!