Where the text goes
A web app has more places for descriptive copy than most people realise, and they have different lengths and audiences:
| Field | Limit | Shown |
|---|---|---|
Manifest description | No hard limit; ~1–2 sentences display | Chrome's richer install dialog on Android and desktop |
| Install page headline and paragraph | Your choice | Your own site, where most installs happen |
| Play Store title | 30 characters | Listing, search results |
| Play Store short description | 80 characters | Top of the listing, above the fold |
| Play Store full description | 4,000 characters | Behind "Read more" |
| Open Graph description | ~200 characters display | Link previews when people share your install page |
Writing the manifest description
This is the sentence Chrome shows under your name when someone is deciding whether to install. It should say what the app does for them, not what it is. "Order from Rosie's, track delivery, save your favourites — no account needed" works. "Rosie's Bakery official mobile application" does not, because it tells the reader nothing they didn't know from the icon.
Turning the template into a real listing
The generator's output is deliberately generic — it strings your features into a structure that meets the character limits. Before publishing, do three things to it:
- Replace every adjective with a fact. "Lightning-fast" becomes "opens in under a second after the first visit". "Beautiful" becomes a screenshot.
- Lead with the one thing. The first line of the full description is all most people read. If your app exists to let people book appointments, that sentence comes first.
- Cut anything Google Play forbids in metadata: competitor names, "#1" or "best" claims, ranking language, emoji spam, keyword lists. Those get listings rejected even when the app is fine.
Install-page copy for a web app
Because the web app installs from your own site, you need a paragraph that explains the two-platform reality without sounding like a manual. A pattern that works:
Android: tap Install when Chrome offers it, or open the menu and choose Add to Home screen.
iPhone: tap the Share button in Safari, then Add to Home Screen.
No app store, no account, about 1 MB.
Put it directly under the headline on your install page, with the QR code for people arriving from print.
Keeping copy and reality in sync
Whatever you promise in the description — offline access, notifications, no sign-up — the reviewer at Google and the user on a train will test. If the service worker only caches the homepage, don't say "works offline". Say "your recent pages stay available offline", which is true and still attractive.