# How WebNativeApp works Source: https://webnativeapp.com/documentation Description: Non-technical WebNativeApp documentation explaining how a website becomes a mobile app and which native features can be added. A WebNativeApp project keeps your website as the main product surface. Users install an app from the App Store or Google Play, tap an icon on their phone, see your branded launch screen, then enter the same product experience they already know from the web. The important difference is that the app is not just a browser shortcut. It is a native mobile project with a controlled app shell, store metadata, app icons, splash screens, device permissions, and optional bridges to phone features. Those bridges are what make the app feel native: Face ID prompts, document scanning, voice input, NFC reads, Dynamic Island status, widgets, review prompts, and similar interactions. The website still drives most screens and updates. Native features are added only where the phone can do something better than a normal website. That keeps the project simpler than a full mobile rewrite while still giving users moments that feel built for iOS and Android. ## Pick native features that change the user experience. ### Start with user value A native feature should remove friction, increase trust, or make an action possible on the phone. Avoid adding permissions just because they are available. ### Ask at the right moment Camera, location, contacts, microphone, and tracking permissions should appear after a user action, with clear product copy explaining why the app needs access. ### Keep a visible result Each native plugin should create something the user can see or feel: faster login, a scanned PDF, a saved event, a spoken command, a map route, or a better app review flow. ## 15 additions with the strongest product impact. This shortlist is based on the [Capgo plugin catalog](https://capgo.app/plugins/) and favors capabilities that are easy to explain, useful across many products, and likely to make a website feel like a real app. ## Biometric unlock Add Face ID, Touch ID, or Android biometrics to protect sensitive screens and speed up repeat access. This is one of the clearest native upgrades because the user immediately recognizes the familiar system prompt. - **Best for:** Accounts, dashboards, finance, healthcare, admin tools, private content. - **User impact:** Less password friction, stronger trust, and a more app-like login moment. - **Plugin reference:** Native Biometric ## Social login Let users sign in with Google, Facebook, or Apple Sign-In through native account flows instead of a generic web form. The result feels more trusted on mobile and can reduce sign-up abandonment. - **Best for:** Consumer apps, communities, marketplaces, booking products, SaaS trials. - **User impact:** Faster onboarding with fewer passwords and fewer mobile typing steps. - **Plugin reference:** Social Login ## Passkeys Passkeys replace password entry with device-backed authentication. For users, it feels like approving a secure login from the phone itself, usually with biometrics or the device passcode. - **Best for:** Products that want modern account security without making login feel heavy. - **User impact:** Fewer forgotten passwords and a premium security impression. - **Plugin reference:** Passkey ## Native navigation Add native-feeling navigation bars, tab bars, and transition shells around your existing web screens. This does not change the core product, but it changes how the app feels in the hand. - **Best for:** Products with dashboards, account areas, search flows, tabs, or multi-step tasks. - **User impact:** Smoother movement between screens and fewer signs that the app began as a website. - **Plugin reference:** Native Navigation ## Camera capture Show a live camera view inside the app for profile photos, product photos, check-ins, augmented product moments, identity steps, or visual reporting. The capture experience feels direct because it uses the phone camera instead of a basic upload field. - **Best for:** Marketplaces, creator tools, field work, inspections, identity, inventory. - **User impact:** Users can take action in the moment instead of leaving the app to prepare files. - **Plugin reference:** Camera Preview ## Document scanner Turn the phone camera into a scanner that detects document edges, cleans perspective, and exports a usable document. This is a strong upgrade for any app that asks users to submit paperwork. - **Best for:** Invoices, contracts, certificates, medical forms, onboarding documents. - **User impact:** Cleaner submissions and less back-and-forth caused by bad photos. - **Plugin reference:** Document Scanner ## Photo library access Let users browse, pick, save, and manage photos or videos from the native photo library with proper permission handling. It is useful when media is central to the product rather than a small attachment. - **Best for:** Creator tools, portfolios, listings, social apps, support forms, before-after flows. - **User impact:** Media selection feels familiar and reliable on both iOS and Android. - **Plugin reference:** Photo Library ## Speech recognition Add voice input for search, notes, commands, accessibility, or hands-free workflows. The user speaks naturally and the app can react as words arrive instead of waiting for a full typed form. - **Best for:** Search, note-taking, support, education, field work, accessibility features. - **User impact:** Less typing on mobile and a memorable voice-first interaction. - **Plugin reference:** Speech Recognition ## NFC reading and writing Allow the app to read or write NFC tags. Users can tap a phone against a card, badge, product, label, or device and trigger a real-world action in the app. - **Best for:** Events, access passes, retail, inventory, physical products, loyalty cards. - **User impact:** A clear physical interaction that websites cannot normally provide. - **Plugin reference:** NFC ## Maps directions Send users from your app to their preferred navigation app with the destination already prepared. This is more polished than showing an address and expecting the user to copy it manually. - **Best for:** Booking, restaurants, real estate, events, delivery, local services. - **User impact:** One tap from intent to route, with fewer mistakes on mobile. - **Plugin reference:** Launch Navigator ## Calendar events Let users save appointments, reminders, classes, renewals, or booking times into the native calendar. The app becomes part of the user's real schedule instead of only sending another email confirmation. - **Best for:** Appointments, ticketing, education, fitness, healthcare, subscriptions. - **User impact:** Better attendance and fewer forgotten commitments. - **Plugin reference:** Calendar ## Receive shared content Make your app appear in the phone's share menu so users can send text, images, links, or files into it from other apps. This turns your app into a destination, not just a place users open manually. - **Best for:** Read-later apps, support tools, design review, CRM, expense capture, content tools. - **User impact:** Users can bring real content into the app from wherever they are. - **Plugin reference:** Share Target ## In-app review prompts Ask satisfied users for an App Store or Google Play review without forcing them to leave the app. The prompt should appear after a positive moment, not immediately after install. - **Best for:** Consumer products, marketplaces, learning apps, service apps, communities. - **User impact:** More natural review requests and less interruption. - **Plugin reference:** In App Review ## Live Activities and Dynamic Island Show an ongoing status outside the app on supported iPhones: delivery progress, a timer, a workout, booking status, match score, or order state. It is one of the most visible ways to feel native on iOS. - **Best for:** Delivery, bookings, timers, sports, logistics, fitness, real-time workflows. - **User impact:** Important progress stays visible while the user does other things. - **Plugin reference:** Live Activities ## Home screen widgets Add small native surfaces on the home screen so users can see a status, shortcut, countdown, saved item, or summary without opening the app first. - **Best for:** Habit apps, content products, finance summaries, schedules, tracking, saved items. - **User impact:** The app earns a permanent place on the phone and becomes useful at a glance. - **Plugin reference:** Widget Kit ## Turn the shortlist into a clear app scope. The best WebNativeApp setup usually starts with three to five native additions, not all fifteen. Pick the moments that make your product feel faster, safer, or more useful on a phone, then add more once the app is live and users show where native behavior matters most.