Manifest: related_applications support

Web App Manifest: related_applications / prefer_related_applications — related_applications is an array naming platform-specific apps related to your PWA (each entry needs a platform and at least one of url or id), and it backs Navigator.getInstalledRelatedApps(). prefer_related_applications is a separate, independent manifest member: a boolean hint that some browsers use to favor installing one of those native apps over your web app. Each member has its own BCD entry, so each gets its own support table below.

Browser & ecosystem support: related_applications

• Legend
• Yes
• Partial
• Flag
• No
• Unknown

Browser / Platform	Support	Versions	Confidence	Source	Notes
Chrome (Desktop)	No	—	high	source	1
Chrome (Android)	Yes	44	high	source	—
Edge (Desktop)	Yes	17	high	source	—
Firefox (Desktop)	No	—	high	source	2
Firefox (Android)	No	—	high	source	3
Safari (macOS)	No	—	high	source	4
Safari (iOS)	No	—	high	source	56
Samsung Internet	Yes	4.0	high	source	7
WebView (Android)	Yes	44	high	source	8

1. No Chrome support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
2. No Firefox support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
3. The property parses, but has no effect.
4. No Safari support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
5. No Safari on iOS support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
6. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Safari.
7. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.
8. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.

Source data: /compatibility/manifest-related-applications.json · Global usage: 40 % (StatCounter 2026-05)

Source: spec · MDN · Last verified 2026-10-03 · Confidence: high (computed from sources)

Browser & ecosystem support: prefer_related_applications

• Legend
• Yes
• Partial
• Flag
• No
• Unknown

Browser / Platform	Support	Versions	Confidence	Source	Notes
Chrome (Desktop)	No	—	high	source	1
Chrome (Android)	Yes	44	high	source	—
Edge (Desktop)	Yes	17	high	source	—
Firefox (Desktop)	No	—	high	source	2
Firefox (Android)	No	—	high	source	3
Safari (macOS)	No	—	high	source	4
Safari (iOS)	No	—	high	source	56
Samsung Internet	Yes	4.0	high	source	7
WebView (Android)	Yes	44	high	source	8

1. `prefer_related_applications` must be `false` or not present for a web app to be installable.
2. No Firefox support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
3. The property parses, but has no effect.
4. No Safari support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
5. No Safari on iOS support is recorded in browser-compat-data.
6. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Safari.
7. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.
8. Derived by browser-compat-data mirroring from Chrome Android.

Source data: /compatibility/manifest-prefer-related-applications.json · Global usage: 40 % (StatCounter 2026-05)

Source: spec · MDN · Last verified 2026-10-03 · Confidence: high (computed from sources)

How to use it

{
  "prefer_related_applications": false,
  "related_applications": [
    {
      "platform": "play",
      "url": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.app",
      "id": "com.example.app"
    }
  ]
}

On Chromium-based browsers, prefer_related_applications must be false or omitted for your web app itself to remain installable — set it true only when you genuinely want to steer users to the native app instead.

How to detect it at runtime

MDN says related_applications enables use of Navigator.getInstalledRelatedApps() to check whether a related app is already installed, so feature-test that method and fall back when it is absent:

async function checkRelatedNativeApp() {
  if ('getInstalledRelatedApps' in navigator) {
    const related = await navigator.getInstalledRelatedApps();
    return related.length > 0;
  }
  // Fallback: the browser cannot report installed related apps, so assume
  // none and let the PWA install flow proceed normally.
  return false;
}

Practical checklist

• Firefox parses related_applications/prefer_related_applications on Android but ignores them, per MDN’s browser-compat-data notes — do not expect any behavior change there even though the JSON is valid.
• Per MDN’s browser-compat-data, several browsers report no support for either member — see the two tables above for exact per-browser support of each member.
• Leaving prefer_related_applications: true on a Chromium browser can make your own PWA install prompt disappear in favor of the native app listing — confirm that is the intended tradeoff before shipping it.

Where to go next

• Web App Manifest: scope

← Back to the Compatibility explorer.