A WebView app is an iOS or Android app that displays web content inside a native app. It's a good fit when you already have a website or web app and want app store distribution, native navigation, push notifications, device permissions, and a faster path than rebuilding the your product in Swift or Kotlin. It's a poor fit when the product requires extensive offline logic, high-end graphics, or native screens with little connection to your existing web app. If your website already works on mobile, a WebView app builder like Median can turn it into a production-ready app without a rebuild. You can build and test for free.
A WebView app is a native iOS or Android app that displays your web content inside the app, full screen, with native features layered around it. The New York Times and United Airlines both ship apps built this way. App content updates through normal web development rather than an iOS and Android release cycle.
WebView apps work. The question is whether it fits your product. This Median guide covers what a WebView app is, how it differs from a browser or a PWA, when it's the wrong choice, and how to build one from your existing website if it's the right choice.
Key takeaways
A "webview app" is a native iOS or Android app that uses an embedded browser to display web content, with native features such as push notifications and biometric login around it.
Unlike a PWA, a WebView app can be listed in the App Store and Google Play. Unlike a fully native app, it runs on one web codebase.
Popular use cases include social media, e-commerce, and news apps, but they're used across many industries.
They're the fastest way to get an existing website into the App Store and Google Play, but they're the wrong choice for games, heavy offline use, or products that share nothing with your website.
Understanding WebView apps
What is a WebView app?
A WebView app is a mobile application that embeds a web browser component to display web content within a native framework.
It uses a system component that loads web-based content, typically written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, inside a native app.
Because the same web content runs on iOS and Android, one codebase covers both platforms.
If you saw Android System WebView in your phone's settings, that's the component Android uses to show web pages inside apps, and you don't need to do anything with it. This guide is for teams that want to build an app of their own.
What’s the difference between a WebView app and a website in a browser?
WebView apps include a “native layer” which incorporates native code that runs on the specific iOS or Android device, along with embedded assets such as the app icon and app splash screen. They also include a “web layer” which provides the primary user interface (UI), and most app content and functionality/business logic.
Unlike a standard web browser, a WebView app shows web content full-screen, without displaying an address bar or typical website navigation buttons. This smooth display means that, so long as the web content is designed and styled appropriately, a WebView app can be indistinguishable from a native app for end users.
Differences between WebView apps and native apps
A native app is built screen by screen in Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. That gives you full control over every animation and every device feature, and it's the right call for games, camera-heavy apps, and anything that has to work fully offline. (It also means two codebases, two teams, and an app store release every time something changes.)
A WebView app reuses the website you already have. Your web team keeps shipping, and changes show up in the app without a new release. Native features such as push notifications, biometric login, and native navigation sit around the web content, so for most business apps users can't tell the difference.
For a full side-by-side comparison, read our guide to native apps vs. webview apps.
Differences between webview apps and progressive web apps (PWAs)
A progressive web app (PWA) is a web application that mimics the user experience of native mobile apps. PWAs can work offline and send push notifications. They can also be installed on users' devices without an app store.
PWAs use service workers, which are background scripts enabling offline capabilities.
The biggest practical difference is distribution. A WebView app is listed in the App Store and Google Play, where people already look for apps. A PWA is installed from the browser, and on iPhone that means tapping Share, then Add to Home Screen, which most people never do. If being in the app stores matters to you, a PWA alone won't get you there.
Read more in our guide to progressive web apps.
Can a WebView app be published in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store?
In a word: yes. As long as the app provides an app-like experience, sufficient functionality, and meets all app store review requirements, a webview app can be published to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
An app store presence provides credibility, and makes it convenient for your users and customers to download your app to their devices, earning your app a well-deserved place on their home screen. Downloading your app from an app store listing is an elevated experience compared to bookmarking your website and the steps to “Add to Home Screen.”
For the specific rules, see will Apple approve my WebView app and will Google Play approve my WebView app.
What defines an “app-like experience”?
Whether an app is “app-like” is ultimately subjective, and up to the app reviewer to determine, but an app-like experience can be ensured by both the app UI and the app functionality.
While a UI completely implemented in web may be approved, you’ll have a greater chance of success if you employ a combination of native navigation components and web-based components. Native-only functionality, such as native push notifications or QR code scanning, are app features that aren't possible in a website in a browser and, if offered by your app, will help ensure approval.
The New York Times and United Airlines, below, are good examples of WebView apps that pair web content with native navigation and native features.
Good examples of WebView apps
WebView app example: The New York Times
The New York Times is a good example of an app that displays web content (Figure 1), with additional native features like a Status Bar, a Native Top Navigation Bar, a WebView component, and a Native Bottom Tab Bar (labeled 1 to 4 below).
When you navigate into a section of The New York Times app, a Native Top Navigation bar appears with a back button (Figure 2). And when viewing an article, a Contextual Navigation Toolbar is displayed (Figure 3).
WebView app example: United Airlines
The United Airlines app displays web content (Figure 4), with additional native features like a status bar, a Native Top Navigation Bar, a WebView component, and a Native Bottom Tab Bar where a user can navigate between flight status, flight booking, and more (labeled 1 to 4 below).
United Airlines includes Auto New Windows, where the flight map opens in a new window in the app, and a back button is visible in the Native Top Navigation Bar (Figure 5).
United Airlines’ flight status opens in a new window with a contextual navigation toolbar featuring back, forward, and refresh buttons (Figure 6).
Popular use cases of WebView apps
Social media apps
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok aren't WebView apps, but they all use WebViews. When you tap a link in your feed, the page opens in an in-app browser built on a WebView, so you can read it and come straight back without leaving the app. It's the same component a WebView app uses, just for one screen instead of the whole app.
E-commerce apps
Your existing checkout keeps working, because physical goods don't need Apple or Google in-app purchase. Push notifications for restocks and abandoned carts are usually the reason stores build the app in the first place. Whole Foods runs its Innerview app for more than 91,000 team members on Median.
News and content apps
News apps such as The New York Times (see above) use a WebView app approach to show the same articles in the app as on the site.
Multimedia components like videos and graphics can be included in-app.
Pros and cons of WebView apps
Advantages of WebView apps
WebView apps let you ship a mobile app without heavy investment in native development, because they run on a single codebase. This makes them an attractive option for businesses looking to create apps that reflect their existing web content.
Updating and maintaining webview apps is simpler than other app approaches, as any changes that are made in the website environment are automatically reflected in the app. You don't duplicate work across web and app, which keeps maintenance costs down.
Disadvantages of WebView apps
The main limitations are:
A plain webview with no native features can get rejected under Apple's Guideline 4.2 or Google Play's minimum functionality policy
Offline use is limited to what your website already supports, unless you add offline screens or caching
Your app is only as fast as your mobile website, so a slow site means a slow app
That said, WebView apps are more than worth exploring if you want to lower app development and maintenance costs.
When a WebView app is the wrong choice
A WebView app is not the right answer for every product.
Be careful if your app needs:
Complex offline behavior where the main product must work without a network.
High-performance graphics or gaming.
Heavy Bluetooth, background processing, or hardware integrations.
A user experience that shares almost nothing with your existing website.
Full native screen-by-screen control.
That doesn't mean you need to rebuild everything. It means the decision should be made feature by feature. A WebView app can still use native plugins for push notifications, authentication, deep links, camera, location, and other device features. The question is whether your core product already works well as a web app.
A quick decision checklist
Use a WebView app if most of these are true:
Your website or web app already works well on mobile.
Users need repeat access from their home screen.
Push notifications would matter.
You need App Store or Google Play distribution.
Your team wants one main web codebase.
You need native features, but not a full native rebuild.
Pause before using a WebView app if most of these are true:
Your mobile web experience is already broken.
The app depends on advanced offline behavior.
The product is closer to a game than a web app.
You need native screens that do not exist in the web product.
If most of the first list sounds like you, enter your URL in App Studio and see your app in the simulator in a few minutes. It's free to build and test.
WebView wrapper vs. WebView app builder
A WebView wrapper is the bare minimum, a native shell that loads your URL full screen. A developer can put one together in Android Studio or Xcode fairly quickly, but on its own it's a website in a frame, and that's what Apple rejects under Guideline 4.2.
A WebView app builder starts from the same shell and adds what the app stores and your users expect, such as native navigation, push notifications, biometric login, and deep links. It also handles building, signing, and publishing to both app stores, and it keeps the app current when Apple and Google change their requirements.
How to build a WebView app
If you’ve decided on a webview app, here are four approaches to getting started that you can consider:
1. Build it yourself or with your internal team
Building from scratch means Kotlin or Java for Android and Swift for iOS. You may have existing in-house iOS and Android development expertise with capabilities to build a custom WebView app from scratch. However, be sure to fully scope your requirements and the associated effort to ensure you are able to manage the large initial upfront effort without needing additional developers or expertise.
2. Hire an external developer or development agency
You may opt to outsource your app to an external developer or a development agency offering iOS and Android developers. They may be able to build your app from scratch based on your requirements, they may be able to repurpose previous work, or they may use their own WebView app "template" to expedite the development process.
Be aware that external developers and agencies range significantly both in cost and quality, and their timelines may not align with your go-to-market goals. For instance, while a given developer may be able to quickly build a basic WebView app, you may not be able to then rely on them to add complex native features to your app. Similarly, they may not be able to support your app with future updates.
Be sure to provide your complete requirements for your initial launch and beyond, and request an agreement to provide future support and updates.
3. Try a basic web-to-app conversion service.
There are many basic web-to-app conversion websites that you can evaluate to generate simple, basic WebView apps without advanced features. A free website to app converter can be fine for testing an idea, but check whether it can publish to the App Store, add native features and keep your app updated before you commit.
While they may save on time and cost compared to building a webview app from scratch, these apps typically have very limited native functionality, and may not be easy to maintain or update in future (in fact, you may need to build an entirely new app to do so).
If you go this route, know that there are limits to the advanced features and integrations you can add, as well as limits to supporting and updating your app in future.
4. Use a WebView app builder
A WebView app builder (sometimes called a WebView app maker) gives you the native shell, plugins, and publishing in one place. Leading web developers and companies like Doctena, Whole Foods, McKesson, and Aon use Median to build, publish, and maintain their iOS and Android apps. More than 1.7 million apps have been built on Median since 2014.
Here's what you get:
A platform and support team that handle the native build, with an optional Publishing Service that manages submission and reviewer responses for you.
It's a far more time- and cost-efficient approach than any "from scratch" alternative, while still customizable to your specific needs.
Making future changes and integrating additional native features requires minimal effort.
Ongoing updates required to support the latest iOS and Android versions are easily deployed (deploying is as simple as pressing a button).
With this approach, you can build a full-feature native app entirely online, use your existing website content, and and add native plugins, which also improves your chances of app store approval.
You’ll be able to focus your efforts on your user experience and functionality, and not low-level native app development. As one long-time customer told us, “it’s a ‘no brainer.’”
See how McKesson, Aon, Whole Foods and Doctena built their apps.
WebView apps and app store guidelines
Apple App Store requirements
Apple judges WebView apps under Guideline 4.2 on minimum functionality, which asks for "features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website." The app also has to come from the business that owns the content (Guideline 4.2.6) and, since April 28, 2026, be built with Xcode 26 or later. Our guide to getting a WebView app approved by Apple covers every check.
Google Play Store requirements
Google Play rejects WebView apps that only mirror a website, or that wrap a site the developer doesn't own. Since August 31, 2026, new apps and updates also have to target Android 16 (API level 36). Our guide to getting a WebView app approved on Google Play covers the full list.
If your app has already been rejected, our app store rejection guide walks through the most common messages and how to fix them.
Cost of building a WebView app
With Median, you can build and preview your app for free. Publishing it to the App Store and Google Play is a paid license, and the price depends on the native features you add. See Median pricing for current plans.
Either way, it's a fraction of the cost of building two native apps. For a full breakdown of in-house, agency and conversion costs, read how much it costs to make an app.
Adding native functionality to WebView apps
Native features are what turn a wrapper into an app. There are three common ways to add them.
Median JavaScript Bridge: A JavaScript Bridge is like a translator between your web content and native code. With this, you can call native functions from JavaScript and vice versa. This means you can access device-specific features like the camera, GPS, or accelerometer directly from your web app, all while staying within the webview environment. Median.co has its own JavaScript Bridge that can be natively integrated into apps created in the Median App Studio.
Native plugins: Native plugins are usually written in the platform's native language (Java for Android, Swift/Objective-C for iOS) and can be triggered from your web code. They make it easy to add native functionalities such as push notifications, file system access, or Bluetooth connectivity to your app. Median offers a rich library of native plugins to enhance WebView apps, enabling native features on WebView apps for a smooth user experience.
Hybrid frameworks: Frameworks like Capacitor and Cordova wrap web code in a native shell and offer plugins for device features. They're a good fit if you have mobile developers who want to manage the native project themselves. React Native is different, since it renders native components instead of a WebView.
You don't need to build a WebView app from scratch
Building a full-feature webview app, powered by your existing website content, is possible. All you need is your URL. Median is a web to app platform, so you can convert your website to an app for iOS and Android, or turn a website to APK for Android testing, without writing native code.
How to build a WebView app with Median
Enter your URL in App Studio. Median builds an iOS and Android app around your site in a few minutes.
Preview it in the browser simulators. Check that the basics work before you configure anything.
Brand it. Add your app icon, splash screen, theme colors, and native navigation.
Add native plugins. Push notifications, Face ID, and deep links help with app store approval.
Test on a real device, or share a public link with your team.
Choose a plan and publish to the App Store and Google Play yourself, or let Median's Publishing Service handle submission and reviewer responses.
For the full walkthrough, read how to make a website an app.
Launch a full-feature native app without native development!
Summary
A WebView app is the fastest way to get a website that already works on mobile into the App Store and Google Play. It's the wrong choice for games, heavy offline use or products that share little with your website.
If it fits, you can build one from your existing site and add native features such as push notifications and biometric login as you need them.
Frequently asked questions
What are some examples of webview apps?
The New York Times and United Airlines apps both show web content inside a native app with native navigation. Social apps like Facebook and Instagram aren't WebView apps, but they use WebViews to open links without sending you to a browser.
What is a WebView app used for?
Most often, it's used to put an existing website or web app in the App Store and Google Play without rebuilding it. Companies use WebView apps for customer portals, e-commerce, news, and internal employee apps.
What’s the difference between a WebView app and a website in a browser?
From a UI perspective, a webview app shows web content full-screen, without displaying an address bar or typical website navigation buttons. This smooth display means that, with appropriate design and styling, a webview app can be indistinguishable from a native app for end users.
From a functionality perspective, a webview app can include native features not possible in a standard browser. These can range from push notifications to Face ID login to QR code scanning. Often, webview apps that incorporate significant native code are referred to as “hybrid apps.”
Are WebView apps allowed in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store?
Yes. If the app meets all app store requirements, including design and functionality, it will be approved and listed in the app stores for users to download.
Apple judges them under Guideline 4.2 on minimum functionality, and Google Play under its Spam and minimum functionality policies. Both want more than a repackaged website.
How can I build my own WebView app?
You have a few options: 1. Build one yourself or with an internal development team. 2. Hire an external developer or development agency. 3. Use a basic web-to-app conversion service. Or, 4: Use a WebView app builder like Median, trusted by brands like McKesson, Whole Foods, and Aon.
Does Apple accept WebView apps?
Yes, if the app passes Guideline 4.2, which asks for "features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website." Native navigation, push notifications, and biometric login are the usual way to get there. Read will Apple approve my WebView app for the full checklist.
How do I build an iOS WebView app?
Enter your URL in Median's App Studio and it builds the iOS app for you, or build one by hand in Xcode with WKWebView. It works well when your website already works well on iPhone. Apple is stricter than Google about WebView apps, so plan for native navigation and at least one native feature such as push notifications or Face ID login from the start.
Does Google Play's API level requirement for impact WebView apps?
Yes. Since August 31, 2026, new apps and updates on Google Play must target Android 16 (API level 36), and existing apps need API level 35 to stay visible to new users on newer devices. Google raises the bar every August. (Source: Android Developers)
What are the advantages of WebView apps?
Cost-effective development: Webview apps simplify the app development process, eliminating the need for significant investment in native app development, and using a single code base for both iOS and Android platforms.
Easy integration of website features: They enable smooth integration of web features into the app interface, maintaining continuity, and convenience for users. This easily allows you to convert an existing website into a webview app.
Simplified maintenance: Updates and maintenance are easier because any changes made on the website automatically reflect within the app, reducing the need for frequent re-coding or software updates.
Cross-platform compatibility: Both iOS webview apps and Android webview apps offer consistent user experiences across different devices, making them ideal for businesses seeking to reach a wider audience without developing separate apps for each platform.
How can I securely get the UDID of my iPhone when using a WebView app for testing or distribution?
The easiest way to get your iPhone's UDID for webview app testing or distribution is to use Median's UDID retrieval tool. It guides you through a simple, secure process within Safari or the webview, without needing a computer or complex setup.
This tool safely collects your UDID while respecting Apple’s privacy rules, making it ideal for ad hoc distribution or device management. Always ensure you share your UDID only with trusted developers and with your consent.
Can I turn my Replit project into a webview app?
Yes. Any Replit project that runs in the browser can be wrapped into a webview app for iOS and Android. A webview app essentially loads your existing web project inside a native shell, meaning you don’t need to rebuild everything from scratch. Once converted, you can enhance your app with native plugins, such as push notifications, biometrics, or camera access, features that aren’t possible in a browser alone. This way, your Replit project feels and functions like a real native app while keeping your existing workflow.
How do I convert a website into an Android app using WebView?
Enter your URL in the Median App Studio and it builds an Android and iOS app around your website, which you can preview right away. To do it by hand, create a project in Android Studio, add a WebView and load your URL. Either way, add native navigation and push notifications before you submit to Google Play.
Can Lovable or Base44 apps become mobile apps?
Lovable and Base44 build web apps, not native mobile apps. To get one into the App Store and Google Play, you wrap it in a webview app with native features. Read how to publish a Lovable app to the App Store and how to publish a Base44 app to the App Store.
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