YouTube Available for Install as Progressive Web App (PWA)

A handful of Google services are available today as Progressive Web Apps. Following music and TV, the main YouTube site can now be installed as a PWA for fast dedicated access.

YouTube.com progressive web app support has been added over the last few days. In Chrome, the sign-plus-in-a-circle icon appears directly in the Omnibox, with users being asked to “Install App”. It differs from the “Install” option of the browser’s manual, which has been available for some time.

Then you get a big red play logo in your app launcher to open YouTube in a window that does not have the address bar and other UI elements for a dedicated experience. Plank fastening (as on Chrome OS) provides instant access to what’s playing.

This ability to install the main website joins PWAs for YouTube Music (October 2019) and YouTube TV (January 2020) to complete the family. Meanwhile, other Google sites include the following: