Before you start
What do I need to turn my website into an app?
A website that works in Chrome on a phone over HTTPS, a square logo, and a few minutes. No Android Studio, no code. The complete guide walks the whole path; the readiness score tells you in a minute whether the site is ready.
Does the platform behind my site matter?
No. WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Webflow, Squarespace, a React or Laravel app, a static site — the app loads your live pages the way a browser does, so what generates them is irrelevant.
Will everything on the site work in the app?
If it works in Chrome on Android, yes: the app uses the same Chromium engine. The known exceptions are social sign-in flows that bounce through a third-party domain, popups that expect a second window, and sites that actively block being embedded. Each has a fix.
Is a website to app builder the same as a web to app converter?
Yes — two names for the same tool. Both package an existing website as an installable app. This one produces Android apps.
How the app behaves
Does the app update when I change the website?
For a URL-based app, instantly — it loads your live site. You rebuild only when the shell changes: icon, name, colours, tabs, permissions. Bundled HTML or ZIP apps carry their content inside and need a rebuild for content changes.
Will the app work offline?
A URL app needs a connection, but shows a branded offline screen instead of Android's error when it is lost — make one with the offline page generator. Bundle an HTML file or a ZIP instead and the content ships inside the app and works in airplane mode.
Can the app use the camera, microphone or location?
Yes. Switch each one on when you build and the standard web APIs work inside the app; the visitor is asked the first time a page uses the feature. Background location and Bluetooth are the exceptions — those need a native app. The permission picker shows what each declaration implies.
Does the back button work?
Yes. It walks back through your page history and exits only at the first page, as Android users expect. A bottom tab bar (Pro) adds a way home from every screen.
Why does my app open to a blank screen?
Nearly always: the site is HTTP rather than HTTPS, it loads something over plain HTTP (mixed content), or — for bundled HTML — the page uses ES modules. The fixes guide lists nine causes with a test for each.
Google Play and iOS
Can a website app go on Google Play?
Yes, provided it does more than a bookmark — Play's minimum functionality policy. Push, native tabs, a splash-and-onboarding flow or offline content all satisfy it. Play also requires an App Bundle (AAB) for new apps, which is Pro output. Play's rules in full →
Why will Play not accept my APK?
Because new apps must be uploaded as an AAB, not an APK, since August 2021. Build an AAB on Pro.
Does it make iOS apps?
No — Android only. An iOS build needs a Mac, Xcode and Apple's $99-a-year developer program and cannot run in this cloud pipeline. The realistic iOS options, starting with a free PWA.
Can I convert a site I do not own?
No. You must own the site or have permission to publish it as an app. Wrapping someone else's site is a copyright violation, is rejected by Google Play and is grounds for account removal. See the DMCA policy.
Signing, updates and uploads
What is a signing key and do I need my own?
Android refuses to install an unsigned app, so every build is signed. Free builds are signed with a key managed for you. To update an app already on Google Play every release must be signed with the same key as the first, which is what Pro's own-key option is for. Back it up; an app whose key is lost cannot be updated.
How do I update the app?
Rebuild with a higher version code and install over the old one. Package name and signing key must match for Android to treat it as an update rather than a second app.
How big can a bundled HTML or ZIP be?
5 MB of source content on the free tier, 18 MB on Pro. A URL app has no limit because it loads from your server.
Account, billing and privacy
Why do I need an account to build?
Builds use real compute and are tied to an identity so limits are fair, projects persist and downloads are retrievable later. The tools need no account because they never touch our servers.
What do you do with my website?
For a URL app, nothing — we only need the public address, which the app loads the way a browser does. We never ask for hosting or CMS credentials. Bundled HTML or ZIP content is sent to the build service, used to produce your app and kept with your project so you can rebuild; deleting the project removes it. Files dropped on the tools are never uploaded at all. Details in the privacy policy.
How much does it cost?
Building APKs is free. Pro — AAB, your own key, splash, onboarding, tabs, push — is $5 a month, sold through Google Play in our Android app. See pricing.
Can I get a refund?
Google Play handles subscription refunds, including the self-service window straight after purchase. The refund policy explains what Google handles and when we can help.