Northern lights app or website - which do you need?

What a PWA website can do

A Progressive Web App is a website that uses modern browser APIs to behave more like a native app. Aurora Tonight is built as a PWA, which means it can do the following without any download from an app store:

• + Send push notifications to Android devices and desktop browsers - the same mechanism used by news sites and email services.
• + Be installed to the home screen on iOS and Android, opening full-screen without the browser address bar.
• + Load quickly on repeat visits using cached assets, even on slower connections.
• + Request location permissions to show the nearest aurora locations automatically.

For most aurora checking - looking up tonight's forecast, reviewing the 7-day outlook, checking cloud cover for a specific location, or setting a Kp alert - a PWA website is sufficient. The gap between a well-built PWA and a native app has closed substantially over the past few years.

What native apps still do better

Native apps retain genuine advantages in a few specific areas. These are worth knowing about before you decide whether to install one.

• Background monitoring with battery optimisation

  Native apps can run true background processes that the OS schedules for minimum battery impact. A PWA notification relies on a service worker that the browser manages - on iOS in particular, background delivery can be less reliable than a native app with proper background fetch.

• Full offline functionality including cached maps

  Native apps can pre-download maps and data for offline use in areas with poor or no signal. A PWA caches assets but cannot match the offline depth of a well-designed native app with local data storage.

• Home screen widgets

  On iOS and Android, native apps can place a glanceable widget on the home screen showing the current Kp value without opening anything. PWAs do not currently support widgets on either platform.

• Community features and photo sharing

  Some aurora apps have built-in community features - real-time sighting reports, photo sharing, and push alerts when other users report visible aurora nearby. These require a native app backend.

How to add Aurora Tonight to your home screen

Push notifications without an app

Aurora Tonight uses the Web Push standard - the same protocol used by news sites, email services, and productivity tools. Once you allow notifications at /northern-lights-alert, you set a Kp threshold for your saved location. When the forecast crosses that threshold, you receive a push notification - no app download, no account required.

This works on Android devices and desktop browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) without any additional setup. On iOS, Web Push requires iOS 16.4 or later and the site must first be added to your home screen via Safari. Once installed, notifications work in the background in the same way as a native app.

When a dedicated app makes sense

If you monitor aurora activity daily - tracking Kp through solar maximum, following geomagnetic storms as they develop - a native app with proper background polling and home screen widgets is worth the install. The same applies if you regularly travel to remote areas with poor mobile signal, where offline maps and cached data become important.

SpaceWeatherLive has a well-reviewed native app for iOS and Android that covers real-time solar wind data, Kp alerts, and historical records. For occasional trip-specific use - checking conditions during a week in Iceland, or monitoring ahead of a planned night out in Scotland - the website is simpler and requires no commitment.