In Chrome 76 you can hide the Add to Home screen mini-infobar

Background on Progressive Web Apps and the mini-infobar

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are a pattern for creating app-like, instant loading, reliable and installable websites.

When your PWA passes the installability checklist on Android, a Chrome system dialog called the mini-infobar will appear at the bottom of the browser window.

Today the Add to Home screen mini-infobar is shown at the same time as the beforeinstallprompt event.

Changes in Chrome 76

Note: Chrome 76 went to stable in July 2019.

We’ve been listening to our community and what we heard was that developers want more control over when to ask users to install a PWA. We heard you!

Starting in Chrome 76, you can prevent the mini-infobar by calling preventDefault() on the beforeinstallprompt event.

The beforeinstallprompt event can help you promote the installation of your progressive web app, making it easy for users to add it to their home screen. Our community has shared that users who install a PWA to the home screen are highly engaged, with more repeat visits, time spent in the app and when applicable, higher conversion rates.

To promote your web app without the mini-infobar, listen for the beforeinstallprompt event, then, save the event. Next, update your user interface to indicate your PWA can be installed, for example by adding an install button, showing an install banner, using in-feed promotions, or a menu option. When the user clicks on the install element, call prompt() on the saved beforeinstallprompt event to show the add to home screen modal dialog.

Future of the Add to Home screen mini-infobar

The use of the add to home screen infobar is still a temporary measure. We’re experimenting with new UI patterns that will continue to give Progressive Web App users the ability to install, and do this in a way that reduces clutter in the browsing experience.