iOS 26 gives you two distinct ways to add websites to your iPhone's Home screen – as web apps or traditional bookmarks. They might look similar at first glance, but choosing the right option can dramatically improve how you access your favorite sites.
Understanding the Difference
When you add a website to your Home screen using the "Add to Home Screen" option, iOS 26 allows the website to be opened as a web app. The update introduces a new feature for adding any website to the Home Screen as a web app, even if it doesn't support progressive web app (PWA) functionality.
Web apps run almost like native apps, with features like offline access, push notifications, and a streamlined interface without Safari's address bar. In contrast, traditional bookmarks simply open the website in Safari when tapped. This choice matters more than you might think. Web apps can provide a faster, more app-like experience, whereas bookmarks work better for informational sites you visit only occasionally.
Add a Web App or Bookmark to Home Screen
In iOS 26, Safari offers an Open as Web App toggle for all websites, even those that don't support have built-in web app support. If you want a bookmark, just switch the toggle off.
- Open Safari and navigate to the website you want to add.
- Tap the three dots to the right of Safari's address bar, then tap Share in the pop-up menu.
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
- If the site supports web apps, you'll see the Open as Web App toggle in the dialog – switch it off if you want a bookmark instead.
- Customize the app name if desired, then tap Add.
Web apps appear on your Home screen with a dedicated icon, and tapping it will launch the site in its own window without Safari's browser interface. Bookmarks display with a generic website icon or the site's favicon, and tapping them opens the page in Safari.
Remove Bookmark or Web App From Home Screen
Both web apps and bookmarks can be deleted from the Home screen, much like any other app. To remove either kind, long-press the icon on your home screen, then tap Delete Bookmark (for some reason iOS doesn't differentiate the kind in this menu).
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are set for a general release in September 2025.
Top Rated Comments
My only evidence is that whenever I'm on the web version of a service, it keeps nagging me to download the App Store version for the 'best experience'
If some day I install Discord, for instance, I will do so with the webapp instead of the App itself. I’m not sure how much data can the the App gather from my usage, but my guess is: more than just a sandboxed Safari tab.
Right now, sometimes when you add a bookmark to your home screen, it will open as an app-like page, with no Safari address bar. This is something set up by the company that supplies the web page. Problem is, without the address bar, you cannot use Reader on that page. If you want to use Reader, you have to make a shortcut that opens that web page and put the shortcut on your home screen. When you open the page from your shortcut, it still includes the address bar and you can use reader.