Unlocking Native App Features with a SvelteKit PWA

5 min readAug 8, 2025

Ever wish your web app could flex like a native app — launch from the home screen, work offline, access your camera — without you wrestling with the App Store or writing two separate codebases? That’s the magic of a Progressive Web App (PWA).

And when you build that PWA with SvelteKit, you get the best of both worlds: a lightweight, reactive framework that runs like lightning, plus modern browser APIs that unlock native-like superpowers.

In this post, I’ll walk you through what features you can actually use, how to wire them into your SvelteKit project, and a few gotchas to avoid. If you stick with me to the end, you’ll be dangerously close to building something your users will swear is a native app.

Why PWAs Are a Game Changer

Here’s the short version:

Native apps: buttery performance, deep device access… but expensive to build and maintain. Oh, and you get the joy of store approval queues.
PWAs: web-based, installable, instant updates, single codebase… and they’ve quietly been gaining access to the same device APIs native apps enjoy.

For you, the developer, this means:

No “iOS team vs Android team” drama.
Ship updates instantly without a “please update” nag screen.
Cross-platform reach without compromising on UX.

Modern browsers have closed most of the “native gap.” The stuff that used to require Swift or Kotlin? You can now tap into right from JavaScript.

Native-Like Features a SvelteKit PWA Can Unlock

Here’s the fun part — what you can actually do in your app. This isn’t a wishlist. These are available now in modern browsers (with some platform caveats).

Offline access — cache assets and pages so the app still works when your user’s on a plane… or in the grocery store’s Wi-Fi dead zone.
Push notifications — re-engage users with timely reminders. (“Hey, your order shipped!”)
Background sync — let the user hit “send” offline and push it to the server later.
Camera & mic access — selfie upload, barcode scanner, audio recorder.
Geolocation — GPS-powered features like “find the nearest…” or live tracking.
File system access — open, edit, and save files directly on the device.
Installability — a home screen icon that launches in full screen without the browser UI.
Device sensors — accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer for games and fitness.
Clipboard & share APIs — smooth copy, paste, and native share sheets.
NFC & contacts — tap-to-share or pull in contact info (browser support varies).

Each of these can turn “just a website” into “whoa, this is an app.”

Why SvelteKit Is Perfect for PWAs

You could build a PWA in any modern framework, but SvelteKit brings a few perks that make it stand out:

Performance baked in — less JavaScript bloat, faster loads, happier users.
SSR + SPA hybrid — SEO-friendly but still feels like a native app.
Easy service worker integration — crucial for offline features.
Component simplicity — Svelte’s reactivity model means you write less boilerplate.
Runes magic — $state, $derived, $effect make reactive native-like features easy to implement.

Bottom line: you spend more time building cool features and less time fighting your framework.

Step-By-Step: Adding Native-Like Features to a SvelteKit PWA

Let’s break it down into something you can actually follow.

1. Set Up the PWA Basics

Create your SvelteKit project:
npm create svelte@latest my-pwa cd my-pwa npm install
Add a static/manifest.json with icons, name, theme color:
{ "name": "My PWA", "short_name": "PWA", "start_url": "/", "display": "standalone", "background_color": "#ffffff", "theme_color": "#ff3e00", "icons": [ { "src": "/icons/icon-192.png", "sizes": "192x192", "type": "image/png" } ] }
Link it in +layout.svelte:
<link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">

2. Add a Service Worker

Create src/service-worker.js
self.addEventListener('install', event => { event.waitUntil( caches.open('v1').then(cache => cache.addAll(['/'])) ); }); self.addEventListener('fetch', event => { event.respondWith( caches.match(event.request).then(response => response || fetch(event.request)) ); });
Register it in hooks.client.ts:
if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) { navigator.serviceWorker.register('/service-worker.js'); }

3. Enable Install Prompts

Use the beforeinstallprompt event:

let deferredPrompt;

window.addEventListener('beforeinstallprompt', e => {
  e.preventDefault();
  deferredPrompt = e;
});// later, on button click
if (deferredPrompt) {
  deferredPrompt.prompt();
}

4. Access Device Features

Camera:
const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: true }); video.srcObject = stream;
Push notifications:
const permission = await Notification.requestPermission(); if (permission === 'granted') { new Notification('Hello from your PWA!'); }
Geolocation:
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(pos => { console.log(pos.coords.latitude, pos.coords.longitude); });

5. Test & Deploy

Run Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools → PWA audit.
Fix any red flags (no HTTPS? no manifest? no offline support?).
Deploy to Vercel, Netlify, or your favorite host.

Common Pitfalls & Limitations

iOS Safari quirks — push notifications, background sync, and some APIs aren’t fully supported.
Hardware variance — not every device has the sensors your app requests.
Permissions — APIs like geolocation require explicit user approval and HTTPS.
Distribution trade-offs — you skip the app store red tape, but also the app store discovery.

The trick is to design your PWA so it still works gracefully if a feature isn’t available.

Final Thoughts & Next StepsWith SvelteKit and modern browser APIs, you can build a PWA that’s so smooth and feature-rich your users will forget it’s “just a website.”
You get the power of native-like experiences without splitting your dev team into warring camps or dealing with app store gatekeepers.
Start small: pick one or two APIs (offline caching, camera, or geolocation) and integrate them into a simple SvelteKit app. Once you’ve got the hang of it, layering in more features becomes addictive.
Your next “web app” doesn’t have to live in the shadow of native apps — it can stand toe-to-toe with them. Now go build something worth installing.

Kickstart your next project with the SvelteKit PWA Starter Template — preconfigured with manifest, service worker, install prompts, and device API hooks so you can focus on features, not setup.
Download the FREE SvelteKit PWA Starter Template

Check out my Gumroad Store: richbrown.gumroad.com

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