As explained on the official website:
“An App Clip is a small part of an app that lets you do a task quickly, like rent a bike, pay for parking, or order food. You can discover App Clips in Safari, Maps, and Messages, or in the real world through NFC tags, QR codes, and App Clip Codes—unique markers that take you to specific App Clips. (App Clip Codes require iOS 14.3 or later.).”
Since it focuses on small and quick tasks, these app clips provide limited function.
Users don’t have to download it on iPad or iPhone, and it can be activated through one of the following ways: NFC tags, QR codes, Safari App Banners, Links in messages, or place cards in maps.
The user can launch the app at a physical location by clicking the QR code or an NFC tag. When you are traveling and need to rent a bike and you come across a riding spot you can unlock a bike by scanning a code and making instant payment.
If a restaurant offers app clips, users can order by scanning a QR code and they can wait for the order either at home if the delivery option is there, or in the physical restaurant, avoiding contact, especially in these pandemic times. Users can also share the app clips through links to their friends(iMessage).
A chain restaurant is a good example of a business that could use App Clips to tailor their local menu based on the location and let users know when their order is ready. Also, Users can pay instantly without visiting cash counters.
Another example is Parcel, a delivery tracking app that consolidates tracking information for over 300 parcel delivery services into one convenient place. Their full app lets the user track all of their deliveries and manage notifications. Their App Clip lets the user track a single package and share that tracking information.
Examples of App Clips
Businesses can develop App Clips for different use cases.
Users can have multiple flows and experiences of the same app beforehand the real app is available. Because app clip experiences are based on URLs, Separate URLs can be provided for distinct user experiences.
Retailers can track a user located within the store using beacons to gather information about paths and optimize their shopping experience.
Enables users to instantly pay for a service delivering tremendous opportunities for marketing and advertising.
At any time, If the user feels to have a full app experience they can download and install the full app. The app and corresponding app clip can’t live together in the app store, they are mutually exclusive.
For Developers, the App clip requires developers to create a second application target. This app will contain all of the code and assets necessary to handle the app clip experiences. Also, the app clip cannot be submitted for app review independently. It requires a corresponding application. Apple mandates app clip size to be less than 10MB.
Pros:
App Clips enable increased brand reach, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.
Cons:
App Clips are limited to 10MB in size. [ development using Ionic is tougher with this small size]
Data from App Clips cannot be shared with any other app.
At first look, the App clip concept and PWA (Progressive Web App) look similar, but they are not. The Progressive Web Apps don’t need to download from the store. They are launched directly from the browser. The app clip is deeply rooted in the offline environment, although PWA is an online solution to improve performance.
When you want to use an app and don’t want to install it and be done with it – this capability is what “Google Android Instant App” offers.
Instant applications function similarly to other local apps, but they are native containers with access to the device’s hardware. It does not have access to storage on the device. In the first place, the users do not have to install it on their phones.
Google Play Instant apps have an option called “tap to try” an app, before app installation. This gives a better user engagement with great mobile app experiences, before installing the app on your device.
Instant apps make it simple to use apps from any location, including search results, social media shares, messages, beacons, NFC, and other applications or even other instant Apps because these are started from any place since they are triggered by URL intents.
There are numerous use cases that developers can offer as choices for existing programs.
All of the instant app use cases are driven by the utility and discoverability of the application. When a use case is simple and useful, it becomes more popular.
Contact us at https://www.pitsolutions.com/en/about-pits/ for any mobile application solution that meets market needs and makes ‘digital a reality for our customers.
https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/iphone/iphb3a73ec53/ios#:~:text=An%20App%20Clip%20is%20a,you%20to%20specific%20App%20Clips.
https://developer.android.com/topic/google-play-instant
