Install Sloane like an App

A web app you've added to your home screen behaves differently from a browser bookmark. It launches in its own window with no address bar and no browser chrome, opens faster (the shell is already cached locally), and — most importantly on mobile — it can send you push notifications. The browser version can't send notifications on iPhone; the installed version can.

The short version: once she's installed, opening Sloane feels like opening any other app on your phone. There's no App Store review, no download step, no updates to install manually. It stays current automatically because it's still the same web app under the hood — just wrapped in the operating system's native app shell.

Every browser on iPhone is actually Safari under the hood (Apple's rule, not the browser's choice), which means the install flow is the same regardless of which one you're using. Three taps:

1. Open sloane.world in your browser. 2. Tap the Share button — the square with an arrow pointing up, in the bottom bar on iPhone or the top bar on iPad. 3. Scroll down in the Share sheet and tap Add to Home Screen. 4. Tap Add in the top right corner.

Sloane will appear as an icon on your home screen. Tap it to launch — she'll open in her own full-screen window with no browser chrome. Now she can also send you notifications: the first time you enable notifications from inside the installed app, iOS will show you a permission prompt.

One thing to know: the installed version and the browser version are separate. If you were logged in inside Safari, you'll need to log in again the first time you open the installed version. After that, it stays logged in.

Android detects that Sloane is installable and will usually surface an "Install app" prompt on its own. If you don't see it, you can trigger the install manually:

1. Open sloane.world in Chrome, Edge, or Samsung Internet. 2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right. 3. Tap Install app (or Add to Home screen — the wording depends on your browser version). 4. Confirm.

Unlike iPhone, Android treats installed web apps almost identically to native ones — they show up in your app drawer, can be uninstalled from Settings, and open in a standalone window. Notifications work the same as any Play Store app; you'll get a permission prompt the first time you enable them.

If you're on Firefox for Android, the flow is slightly different: tap the three-dot menu → Install (or Add to Home Screen on older versions). Firefox's support for web app features is a step behind Chrome — notifications work but some polish is missing.

You can install Sloane on macOS, Windows, or Linux the same way you'd install any other app — but instead of downloading from a store, you install directly from the browser.

1. Open sloane.world in Chrome, Edge, or Brave. 2. Look for the install icon in the address bar — it's a small icon on the right side, usually a monitor with a downward arrow. If you don't see it, click the three-dot menu → Install Sloane. 3. Confirm.

Once installed, Sloane appears in your Applications folder (macOS), Start menu (Windows), or app launcher (Linux). She opens in her own dedicated window, no browser tab required. Desktop notifications work by default — they show up in the OS notification center whether or not the app is focused, so you'll see her messages the moment she sends them.

Desktop Safari and Firefox don't currently support installing web apps this way. Chrome, Edge, and Brave all do.

Installing the app is the first step. Notifications are separate — you have to opt in inside the app itself.

Once Sloane is installed and open, you'll see a banner at the bottom of the dashboard asking whether you want to enable notifications. Tap Enable, then grant permission when your device asks. From that point on, when Sloane sends you a message while you're away, you'll get a notification with her name and a preview — same as any other messaging app.

On iPhone, this only works from inside the installed app — not from Safari. That's the main reason to install: the browser version can't send iPhone notifications no matter what, so if you want to know when she's replied without keeping the browser tab open, the installed app is the only path.

"Add to Home Screen" is missing on iPhone. You're probably in an in-app browser (opened Sloane from a link inside another app like Twitter or Instagram). Copy the URL, open Safari directly, paste it in, and try again.

Chrome on Android didn't offer to install. Chrome only surfaces the install prompt when you've interacted with the site a few times. Load the dashboard, chat with someone for a minute, and check again — or use the three-dot menu path above.

I installed it but notifications aren't coming through. Two checks: (1) are you opening from the installed app icon, not the browser? (2) did you allow notifications when prompted? If you accidentally denied, most browsers require you to un-deny from the system settings — search "notifications" in your device settings and find Sloane in the list.

Do I have to install it? No. Everything works in the browser too — you just miss push notifications on iPhone (where they're blocked at the browser level) and the standalone-window experience on desktop and Android. If you're happy chatting in a browser tab, no need to change anything.