Installing as an App (PWA)
Your listeners can install the AutoPod Player as a standalone app on their phone, tablet, or computer. It appears on their home screen or dock with your station's icon — and if live streaming is enabled, one click takes them straight to your live feed.
Your station in the dock
When a listener installs your player, it becomes a real app on their device. On macOS, it sits in the Dock. On Windows, it's in the Start menu and taskbar. On phones, it's on the home screen — right alongside Spotify, Apple Music, and everything else.
With live streaming enabled, clicking the icon opens your live feed immediately. No browser, no navigating, no finding the right page. One click → live audio.
This turns every listener's device into a dedicated radio receiver for your station. A community station can sit in the macOS Dock right alongside a national broadcaster. A student station's icon can be on someone's phone home screen, one tap from live audio.
What is a PWA?
A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a website that can be installed on a device and used like a regular app. No app store, no review process, no download size, no developer account needed. When a listener installs your player:
- It appears on their home screen or dock with your station's icon and name
- It opens in its own standalone window — no browser address bar, no tabs
- It's themed with your station's brand colour in the title bar and task switcher
- It supports lockscreen and media key controls (play, pause, skip)
- It can send notifications when their favourite shows go live
- It offers home screen shortcuts — quick actions to Listen Live, Browse Episodes, or manage notifications
How it works under the hood
AutoPod generates a unique Web App Manifest for each station. This manifest tells the device how to install and display your station as an app.
What the manifest contains
| Property | What it does | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| App name | Shown under the icon and in task switchers | Your station name |
| App icon | The icon on the home screen, dock, or taskbar | Your station image (192px and 512px versions) |
| Theme colour | Title bar and status bar colour | Your brand colour from Player Settings |
| Start URL | What opens when you click the icon | Your player URL with ?live=true — goes straight to the live stream |
| Display mode | How the app window looks | Standalone (no browser chrome) |
| Shortcuts | Quick actions from long-press/right-click on the icon | Listen Live, Browse Episodes, Notifications |
The start URL includes ?live=true, which means tapping or clicking the installed app opens the live stream automatically. If live streaming isn't enabled for your station, the app opens to your latest episodes instead.
Home screen shortcuts
On supported devices (Android, some desktop browsers), long-pressing or right-clicking the app icon shows quick actions:
- Listen Live — Jump straight to the live stream
- Browse Episodes — Open the episode browser
- Manage Notifications — Follow or unfollow shows
Each shortcut uses your station image as its icon.
How listeners install the player
On Android / Chrome
- The listener visits your player URL in Chrome
- An install prompt appears automatically (or they tap the browser menu → "Install app")
- They confirm the installation
- Your station appears on their home screen
On iPhone / Safari
- The listener visits your player URL in Safari
- They tap the Share button (the square with an arrow)
- They scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
- They give it a name (your station name is pre-filled) and tap Add
- Your station appears on their home screen
iOS doesn't show automatic install prompts. The player shows a helpful banner explaining how to install when it detects an iPhone or iPad. Notifications on iOS require the full PWA installation.
On macOS and Windows (Chrome, Edge)
- The listener visits your player URL
- They click the install icon in the address bar (or browser menu → "Install...")
- Your station opens as a standalone window, separate from the browser
- The app appears in the Dock (macOS), taskbar (Windows), or application launcher
On macOS, the installed player sits in the Dock like any other app. Listeners can keep it there permanently — one click to open, and the live stream starts playing.
What the installed app looks like
When installed, the player uses your station's branding:
- App icon — Your station's image, displayed at multiple sizes for the home screen, splash screen, and task switcher
- App name — Your station name (shortened to 12 characters on platforms with limited space)
- Theme colour — Your brand colour appears in the title bar (desktop) and status bar (mobile)
- Splash screen — Your station icon on a dark background while the app loads
- Standalone window — No address bar, no browser tabs — just your player
Each stream gets its own isolated app installation. If your station has multiple streams, each one can be installed as a separate app with its own icon and settings.
Notifications
Installed PWA users can opt in to notifications for their favourite shows:
- Open the player (installed version)
- Go to the Notifications page (or use the home screen shortcut)
- Follow individual shows
- When a followed show goes live, the listener gets a notification
Notification features:
- Choose which shows to follow
- One notification per show per day (not spammy)
- Notification shows the show artwork, show name, and a "tap to listen" action
- Works on Android, Chrome desktop, and other browsers with notification support
- iOS requires the full PWA installation for notification support
Lockscreen and media controls
When playing audio from the installed app, listeners get lockscreen controls:
- Play / Pause — Standard playback control
- Skip forward / backward — Jump through the episode
- Album artwork — The episode or show artwork displays on the lockscreen
- Episode title — Shows what's currently playing
This works on Android, most desktop browsers, and partially on iOS. Media keys on Bluetooth headphones and keyboards also control playback.
Caching and performance
The installed player caches resources intelligently:
| Content type | Cache strategy | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| App shell (layout, scripts, styles) | Cached on install | Updated automatically |
| Images (station, show, episode artwork) | Cached on first view | 30 days |
| Audio files | Cached on first play | 7 days |
| API data (episodes, schedule) | Network-first with fallback | 5 minutes |
The app shell loads instantly, even on slow connections. Live audio always requires an internet connection to stream.
For station managers
You don't need to do anything special to enable PWA functionality — it's built into every AutoPod player automatically. The install experience uses your existing player settings:
- Station image → becomes the app icon (use a square image for best results)
- Brand colour → becomes the theme colour (title bar, status bar, splash screen)
- Station name → becomes the app name
- Live streaming → if enabled, the installed app opens your live stream on launch
Getting the best results
- Upload a high-quality square station image — this becomes the app icon on every platform. It's displayed at 192px for home screens and 512px for splash screens, so a crisp original matters.
- Set a brand colour in Player Settings — this colours the title bar, status bar, and splash screen background. Pick something that looks good against dark backgrounds.
- Use a custom domain if you have one — the installed app will use that domain, which looks more professional.
listen.yourstationname.comis cleaner than a default URL. - Enable live streaming — this is the killer feature. With live enabled, the installed app becomes a one-click radio for your station. Without it, the app opens to your episode library (still useful, but less immediate).
Mention the PWA installation on your website, social media, or on-air. A simple call to action works well:
"Listen on your phone — visit listen.yourstationname.com and tap Install"
"Add us to your Dock — visit our player in Chrome and click Install"
For stations with live streaming, the pitch is even simpler: "Install our app and you're one click from live radio, any time."