Re: [w3c/manifest] The new definition of "installable web application" is inconsistent with the normative text of the specification (Issue #1168)

benfrancis left a comment (w3c/manifest#1168)

As a new data point I recently learned that Google [plans](https://issuetracker.google.com/u/1/issues/543049061) to open up full web app installation on Android with a new vendor-neutral API designed to replace the WebAPK minting API. This new API will allow other browsers to install web apps which are treated like native apps with an icon on the app launcher and device settings and support for badging, shortcuts, share targets and deep linking (which is all great news BTW).

@dmurph Do you know whether [android.content.pm.webapp](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/webapp/package-summary) is the API that is being discussed here? If so, I note that the [`WebAppInstallRequest.Builder`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/webapp/WebAppInstallRequest.Builder) class used to create the [`WebAppInstallRequest`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/webapp/WebAppInstallRequest) argument for [`WebAppManager.install()`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/webapp/WebAppManager#install(android.content.pm.webapp.WebAppInstallRequest,%20java.util.concurrent.Executor,%20java.util.function.ObjIntConsumer%3Cjava.lang.String%3E)) takes `manifestUrl` (the URL of a web app manifest) and `title` (initial title to be displayed during installation process) as parameters.

I also note that:
1. `manifestUrl` can not be null
2. No document URL is passed
3. There doesn't appear to be any way to provide web app metadata other than via a manifest URL

(This arguably aligns quite neatly with the Web Platform Incubator Community Group's proposed [Web Install](https://wicg.github.io/install-element/) specification, where `navigator.install()` requires a manifest URL as an argument but does not use the document URL when [processing a manifest](https://wicg.github.io/install-element/#processing-an-install-manifest).)

All of this seems to point towards the idea that Android (presumably including Googlebook OS which appears to be intended to eventually replace ChromeOS) will only allow web apps with a web app manifest to be installed. Browsers may also have a separate feature to create a shortcut for a website without a manifest, but that would not go through this API and presumably would therefore not benefit from the same level of OS integration (@dmurph please correct me if I'm wrong).

If the install APIs provided by browsers and operating systems consistently require a manifest URL for installation, to me that seems to further contradict the statement "any website is an installable web application".

@marcoscaceres It would of course be interesting to know if and when Apple plans to implement an equivalent browser-neutral API on iOS/iPadOS and whether that will also require a manifest URL like the Android API or work more like desktop Safari (as mentioned above).

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