14 DAY TRIAL // Weeks ago, it was revealed that Apple's iPhone OS 2.1 packed more than the changelog said. There's even more on top of that – full-screen web apps. The latest findings are accompanied by a demo application and instructions for you to experience this on your own device.
“One unpublicized feature introduced by Apple's latest iPhone software updates is the ability to save Web apps to the home screen and have them launch in full-screen mode without the Safari wrapper, essentially mimicking the experience of a native app,” AppleInsider reveals. It is not yet confirmed that this is a 2.1 addition, but reader Clancy sure believes so. While the “undocumented” feature exists only in Web applications specifically authored to include the full-screen code, the discoverer created a demo application for iPhone users, and said they should follow these exact steps, to trigger the full screen mode:
- Load the demo app in Safari on your iPhone; - Hit the "+" button at the base of the Safari app; - Select "Add to Home Screen"; - Save the App to the Home Screen; - Tap the icon that was just saved to your Home Screen; - The demo App should load in full screen without the Safari wrapper.
(The steps to prep a Web app to launch as a full-screen app are also available via a screenshot tour hosted by the news source).
According to the source, the app behaves just like a native application downloaded from the App Store, once it is up and running in full screen. However, depending on your Internet speed (since all the resources and interface elements are being downloaded in real-time), it could perform slowly. AppleInsider adds that users can even pull the interface down like a native app without invoking the Safari interface.
Apple released software update 2.1 for iPhone and iPod touch users last month. While iPod touch owners have been granted the update three days ahead ($9.95 for upgrading from V. 1.x), owners of an iPhone could upgrade for free, regardless of their current firmware.