Installing chessmail as an app

People keep asking for a chessmail app. An app for the stores is planned, but there is no date yet. You do not have to wait, though, because chessmail is built as a web app and can be installed on any device. Afterwards it sits on your home screen, in the dock or in the start menu with its own icon and opens full screen without browser bars. It takes half a minute.

What you get

  • Your own icon, you start chessmail like any other app.
  • Its own window without address bar and tabs. On a phone that leaves noticeably more room for the board.
  • You stay logged in and land straight in the lobby.
  • Updates arrive by themselves, because it is the same site as in the browser. No store, no downloads, no waiting for a review.
  • Almost no storage, no large app file is downloaded.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open chessmail in Safari.
  2. Tap the share symbol at the bottom, the square with the arrow pointing up.
  3. Scroll down in the menu and choose Add to Home Screen.
  4. Tap Add in the top right corner.

On the iPhone the most reliable route is Safari. Chrome and Firefox offer the option as well by now, but they hide it elsewhere.

Android

  1. Open chessmail in Chrome.
  2. Tap the menu with the three dots in the top right corner.
  3. Choose Install app, depending on the version the entry is called Add to home screen.
  4. Confirm.

Sometimes Chrome suggests the installation by itself with a banner at the bottom.

Mac

In Safari from macOS Sonoma on: open chessmail and choose Add to Dock from the File menu.

In Chrome or Edge: a small install symbol appears at the right of the address bar, or use Install chessmail from the menu.

Windows

In Chrome or Edge: an install symbol appears at the right of the address bar, a monitor with an arrow. Alternatively Install chessmail from the menu, in Edge under Apps the entry Install this site as an app.

chessmail then lives in the start menu and can be pinned to the taskbar like any program.

Linux

In Chrome, Chromium or Edge it works as on Windows, through the symbol in the address bar or the browser menu.

Removing it again

  • iPhone and iPad: press and hold the icon, then Remove App.
  • Android: press and hold the icon and drag it to the bin, or choose Uninstall.
  • Mac: drag it out of the dock, for Safari apps also delete it in Launchpad.
  • Windows: right-click chessmail in the start menu and choose Uninstall.

Your games, tournaments and settings are not affected. They live on the server, not on the device.

When something does not work

No entry for installing? Reload the page once and check whether you are browsing in private mode. Browsers do not offer the installation there.

The app shows an outdated view? An emptied cache usually helps, see Clear the browser cache.

Will there still be a real app? Yes, it is planned. The installed web app is not a stopgap, for playing on a phone it already comes close.