Make a Blogger blog installable
Blogger gives you full control of the template HTML and none of the file system. For an installable blog that means a hosted manifest for the home-screen icon, and the Android package when you want push notifications for new posts or a Google Play listing.
What Blogger allows
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Edit the template <head> | Yes — Theme → Edit HTML. Works on blogspot.com and custom domains. |
| Host manifest.json or sw.js at the root | No. Blogger has no file hosting at all; images go to Google's photo CDN. |
| Home-screen install with your icon | Yes, with a manifest hosted elsewhere (GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, Google Drive won't do — it needs CORS and a stable URL). |
| Offline reading or web push from the blog | No — no service worker. |
| Android app with push for new posts | Yes, via the Android package + OneSignal, which can trigger on your blog's RSS feed. |
Route 1: hosted manifest
- Generate files with the builder using your blog's URL. Keep
manifest.jsonand theicons/folder; discardsw.js(nowhere to run it). - Host them on a free static host with CORS — GitHub Pages or Cloudflare Pages both work. Update icon paths in the manifest to absolute URLs on that host; leave
start_urlas your blog's URL. - In Theme → Edit HTML, just after
<head>:
<link rel='manifest' href='https://yourname.github.io/blog-app/manifest.json' crossorigin='anonymous'/>
<link rel='apple-touch-icon' href='https://yourname.github.io/blog-app/icons/icon-192x192.png'/>
<meta name='theme-color' content='#4F46E5'/>Blogger's template is XML — note the single quotes and self-closing tags, or the editor will reject the save.
Route 2: an Android app with push for new posts
Blogs live or die by return visits, and push is the strongest return channel available without an email list. The Android app builder wraps the blog with your icon and splash and wires OneSignal push. In OneSignal, set up an RSS-to-push automation on your blog's feed (https://yourblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default): every new post becomes a notification to everyone who installed the app. The AAB can be listed on Google Play; add the offline screen and native navigation so the listing shows more than a web view.
AdSense inside the app
Many Blogger sites earn from AdSense. Website ads continue to display inside the Android app because it renders the live pages. Do not also enable AdMob in the same screens — Google's policies prohibit stacking ad networks on the same content, and a reviewer will notice. Pick one: AdSense on the pages, or AdMob in the app shell with AdSense units hidden for app visitors.
Custom domain vs blogspot.com
Everything above works on both. If you might move off Blogger later, use a custom domain from the start: the installed icon, the manifest's start URL and any QR codes you print all point at the domain, and a migration to WordPress or another host then keeps them valid. Blogspot addresses lock the app to Google's hosting forever.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a real PWA on Blogger?
No. A service worker has to be served from your blog's origin and Blogger provides no way to do that. Home-screen install and an Android app are the achievable outcomes.
Does the Android app show new posts automatically?
Yes — it displays the live blog. Push notifications for new posts are the extra step, via OneSignal's RSS automation.
Is a blog "enough" for Google Play?
A blog with push notifications, an offline screen and native navigation has passed review for many publishers. A bare wrapper of a blog risks a minimum-functionality rejection. Enable those features in the builder.