Re: [w3c/manifest] beforeinstallprompt : Prompting user makes it to hard to discern whether the user truly wanted to "install" a web app (#835)

> > Those manners don't ask or promot users to install any app; it simply indicates that there is an app available if they wanted to use, and links to the relevant content in App Store where the user then has an option of installing it. There is no mechanism to directly install an app straight out of an app banners.
> 
> Under this definition, `beforeinstallprompt` also does not provide a mechanism to directly install an app

I don’t follow. beforeinstallprompt is literally about showing UI to install a web app. Not about indicating the existence of some other app.

> and seems analogous to what you have described Apple's [native app banners as doing](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariWebContent/PromotingAppswithAppBanners/PromotingAppswithAppBanners.html): showing the user native UI containing the app metadata, and give them an install button should they wish to install.

Not at all. The fact there is an install button is almost incidental. The primary purpose is to have a way of discovering the app associated with a website.

Here, we’re talking about the feature which asks the user to install an app. That’s an entirely different feature.

Anyhow, I don’t think spending anymore time discussing whether these things are analogous in your view or our view would be productive. It’s true that different people and companies may have different perspective on things and that’s okay. We don’t have to agree on every perspective; that’s sort of the point of diversity & having multiple implementors.

> > In the case of a web app, users are already using the app so there is no reason to remind them of its existence (since they're already using it), and the way people promote that there are other apps available on the web is to have hyperlinks to them.
> 
> Semantically, I suspect users think of hyperlinks as not really representing links to apps, but links to web pages, which is why developers have made it clear that the ability to promote their web apps in this way is important.

I don’t see how that’s relevant? Besides, if they’re interested in making their hyperlinks looking different, they can. There is nothing preventing them to do that.

Also, if this topic was somehow relevant, beforeinstallprompt isn’t about discovering other web apps at all. This is about asking the user to install the very website / app they’re currently using.

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