> And if it's just a web site, why do you need to "install" it? A link is surely sufficient?
The point is that there are apps that can pretty much be built entirely using web technologies as PWAs, but in doing so they are no longer "just web sites" and they need functionality of installed apps, like notifications. For example, most banking apps on Android could be entirely rewritten as PWAs, but they'd need to make use of things like notifications (I don't want a random website sending me notifications, but I DO want notifications of activity on my bank account) and camera APIs (e.g. for mobile check deposit).
I find bank apps to be the least flexible about notifications; there's no way to get them to use app notifications for a lot of things they insist on using email and/or SMS for.
The last thing being the worst as SMS 2FA is so insecure, but SMS of your bank deposits isn't much better.
Well, obviously all the features that are available to PWAs are available in browsers - a browser is the thing that executes a PWA to begin with.
It basically is just a difference in use case and how most people thing about "apps" vs. "websites". If I have a long term relationship with a business, and I access its functionality frequently, I'd rather have it as an app on my homescreen.
The point is that there are apps that can pretty much be built entirely using web technologies as PWAs, but in doing so they are no longer "just web sites" and they need functionality of installed apps, like notifications. For example, most banking apps on Android could be entirely rewritten as PWAs, but they'd need to make use of things like notifications (I don't want a random website sending me notifications, but I DO want notifications of activity on my bank account) and camera APIs (e.g. for mobile check deposit).