Microsoft joins Google to create new generation of web apps

Progressive web apps use emerging web browser APIs and features, along with traditional progressive enhancement strategy, to bring a native app-like user experience to cross-platform web applications.

Microsoft's PWABuilder and Google's Bubblewrap are now working together to help web developers.

PWABuilder.com is Microsoft's open source developer tool that helps build high-quality PWAs and publish them in app stores.

Bubblewrap is Google's command line utility and library to generate and sign Google Play Store packages from Progressive Web Apps.

PWABuilder is now using Bubblerwrap under the hood, Microsoft says, and is giving back some integration features to PWAs on Android.

After months of collaboration, the two tech giants have announced two great new features for PWA developers: Web shortcuts support and advanced Android features and customization.

From PWABuilder, developers can customize the appearance of the Android status bar and navigation bar, customise Android splash screen, change launcher name, use an existing signing key and more.

"We are working together to make the web a more capable app platform. In addition to the above, we're also collaborating with Google on Project Fugu to incubate new web platform features," said Microsoft's Judah Gabriel Himango.