Apple Vision Pro users may not see many notifications while wearing the headset, with the discovery that visionOS doesn't natively support Progressive Web Apps and Web Push Notifications.
Apple Vision Pro in use [Apple]
Notifications and alerts are a fact of life in modern computing, but they may not be that visible for users of the Apple Vision Pro. It appears that, in the case of apps that rely on the underlying technologies of Progressive Web Apps, their notifications won't appear at all.
Raised by Steve Moser of MacRumors via X, the Apple Vision Pro does not include support for Progressive Web Apps.
Progressive Web Apps are made using standard web technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, enabling them to work on almost any platform with a compliant browser.
TIL that the Apple Vision Pro does not support Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). This means that in Safari, users won't find an "Add to Home Screen" option. Without PWA support, features like Web Push Notifications are not available. As a result, applications that do not launch with pic.twitter.com/hfejtF6IJo
-- Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) January 22, 2024
Without support for PWA, Moser points out that users won't see an option to "Add to Home Screen" in Safari, nor will there be support for features such as Web Push Notifications. What notifications users will see will consist of alerts from visionOS and apps that support visionOS.
Despite the discovery, it is unclear if the final release version of visionOS and Safari for the Apple Vision Pro headset will introduce support at or soon after launch, or if support is left out intentionally.
For consumers, this will ultimately mean fewer encounters with notifications while using the Apple Vision Pro, compared to using an iPhone or an iPad. Since the headset offers immersive experiences, this may not necessarily be a bad thing for Apple Vision Pro owners for the moment.