Re: [w3c/manifest] Way to detect if a web app is installed (Issue #1092)

marcoscaceres left a comment (w3c/manifest#1092)

Looking back at the thread, we've identified two related but distinct problems:

1. **Post-installation detection:** "Am I running as an installed web app?" (what this issue is about)
2. **Pre-installation detection:** "Is installation possible in this context?" — sites currently resort to user-agent sniffing to determine if they're in a context where "Add to Home Screen" is available. For example, distinguishing a mobile browser from an in-app WebView where installation isn't possible. See [Bug 198673](https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=198673) for discussion of this use case.

For (1), the `display-mode` media query conflates display mode with installation state. As @dmurph noted, `display-mode: fullscreen` is true both for installed apps in fullscreen mode AND browser tabs using the Fullscreen API. @benfrancis's [table](https://github.com/w3c/manifest/issues/1092#issuecomment-2746381083) nicely illustrates the matrix of possibilities here: an explicit installed state media feature would be unambiguous.

For (2), there may be value in a media feature that signals whether the context supports installation. Not all user agents do; this includes not just browsers that don't implement installation, but also WebViews and other application contexts built on web technology where "Add to Home Screen" isn't available or doesn't make sense.


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