Very frequently, we install applications on our terminals thinking that we want to test them and decide whether to keep them or delete them. But it is quite common that we forget them after a single use and we do not get to uninstall them until the smartphone tells us that it no longer has any more space.

Especially in mid-low range terminals, the internal storage is usually quite limited and consequently the system slows down the more applications we have installed, which is why many resort to cloud storage of their files, either through specific apps such as Dropbox or with unlimited storage alternatives, which were not initially designed for this purpose, like WhatsApp the Telegram.

Good or bad idea? replace apps with webapps

On the other hand, webapps are an excellent solution in these cases. These are those mobile-adapted versions of certain web utilities (online banking, social networks, and even some games, among many others that we may not have noticed). Another reason why users decide to opt for a webapp is because they are looking for an application that only exists for iOS, as is the case with the poker apps of 888, available for iPhone but not for Android. In either case, the solution is as simple as accessing your website from your smartphone and adding your icon to the home screen. We will have all the functionalities of the app, without the need to install anything from Google Play. This example is replicated in other apps such as Facebook or YouTube, or even apps from stores such as Privalia or Amazon.

Advantages and disadvantages, Apps vs Webapps

But are they all advantages? Should we start uninstalling applications like crazy? Is this the solution to the problem of storage and performance of our Android? Like everything, it is relative. Among the great advantages, obviously, is the available storage, and not only because of the MB that an app occupies, but also because of the cache that it generates (Instagram grows considerably with its use). But in the same way, we will be sacrificing some features, one of them, notifications. For some, this will be unimportant. If you don't usually have them active, you won't notice the difference, but effectively the webapps won't send notifications, so if you're a addicted to them, this is not an option.

On the other hand, the benefit of not having notifications is seen significantly in battery performance. If the problem, more than storage, is getting through the night without having to charge your phone in the middle of the day, turning off notifications or deciding to use webapps is a good idea. But sometimes, the opposite happens: mobile websites, instead of taking away options, give us more features than the application itself. We have an example in the Evo Banco application, which does not allow international transfers, while the mobile web does. Of course it can also happen the other way around, and going back to the example of online banking, the contactless system sometimes it is only available from the bank's own application, and simply because of that, it is already worth having it installed.

Let's go to another issue: file management. Browsers make it easier to work with attachments within an adapted website, often with greater comfort than from apps. Sometimes we try to fill in a form within an app (for example, update our profile by providing data and attachments) and it becomes a nightmare. However, we access the mobile web and everything is simplified. Regarding the saving of files in the terminal, the apps usually generate folders automatically, either in the image gallery or in the phone file. For some, it will be the solution to keep everything in order, but for those who prefer to classify documents in their own way, webapps will make it easier to choose the destination folder.

One of the obvious shortcomings of replacing the applications with direct access to the websites of these online services is that we will have to enter the password over and over again, since as a general rule, unless we use external solutions, they will not remember it. Here the applications add up many points, because normally just by executing them, we will be inside our user (for example, Facebook as an application will rarely forget our password, while accessing from the browser we will have to log in every time we enter).

Conclusion

So what is the best option? Obviously, it depends on the use that each one makes of their terminal and its features. The main recommendation for the use of webapps is, primarily, for those users who want or need to use an app that does not exist for Android but does exist for iOS, and whose developer has provided Android users with this solution. Then to those with storage issues, and extensively to those interested in extending their battery life, sacrificing the use of notifications along the way.