Install jiema.my as an app — and what it does when you're offline

jiema.my is a Progressive Web App. The polite version of that is: if you've used the site a couple of times, your browser will offer to install it like a regular app on your phone or desktop, with its own icon and no browser chrome. The useful version is: install costs nothing, the install isn't sending you to any store, and the installed version behaves a little smarter when the network is shaky. Here's what you actually get.

How to install

The install prompt usually appears as a small banner at the bottom of the page after a few visits. If you don't see one, you can install manually:

• Android Chrome: menu (⋮) → "Install app" or "Add to Home screen".
• iOS Safari: share button → "Add to Home Screen".
• Desktop Chrome / Edge: address bar shows an install icon (a small computer with a down-arrow); click it.
• Desktop Safari: File → Add to Dock.
• Firefox: doesn't currently offer install on desktop; on Android, menu → "Install".

What changes after install

The site launches as a standalone window. No address bar, no tabs, just our UI. Faster cold-start (often 200–400ms vs a regular browser tab). The icon lives on your home screen or dock alongside native apps; you can move it, dock it, switcher between installed apps with cmd-tab/alt-tab.

Behind the scenes, the service worker caches the static parts of the site (CSS, JS, fonts, icons) the first time you visit. After that, the shell of the app loads instantly regardless of network — only the live data (prices, stock, your orders) hits the network.

What works offline

The honest answer: not much that's useful. Receiving SMS requires our backend, which requires the network. So while the offline page renders nicely and shows your balance from the cache, you can't place new orders without connectivity.

What we do handle gracefully:

• The app shell renders instantly from cache — no white screen while the network reconnects.
• An order you've already opened keeps polling intelligently — when the network returns, it catches up to current state without you reloading.
• The offline page (visible when you tap a link while genuinely offline) shows your current balance and a clear "you're offline" message instead of a browser error.

Push notifications

After install, the next time you have an order in flight you'll be asked whether to allow notifications. Allow it — when the SMS arrives, your device taps you on the shoulder instead of needing you to stay on the order page. The notification opens directly to the right order. We don't use this channel for marketing or anything else.

On iOS this works in the installed app but not in the regular browser tab; on Android it works in both. Push subscriptions are revocable from your device settings any time.

Uninstall

Same as any other app: long-press the icon on Android and remove, or right-click on desktop and uninstall. You don't lose your account — it's tied to your Google or Telegram login, not the app installation.

Should you install it?

If you check the service more than weekly, yes — the cold-start improvement plus the push notification when SMS arrives are quietly nice. If you use the site once every couple of months, the regular browser tab is fine. There's no functionality gated behind the install.