Install Webmail as a PWA on iOS and Android

TrekMail webmail has a responsive phone layout and can be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA) on supported browsers. Installation gives you a home-screen or desktop shortcut and a standalone window; it does not turn the mailbox into an offline email client.

Use webmail in a mobile browser

Open trekmail.net/webmail/ or your provider's branded webmail URL and sign in with your mailbox address and mailbox password.

On a narrow screen:

• The folder and mailbox sidebar collapses so the message list can use the full width.
• Opening a message replaces the list and provides a back action.
• The floating compose button opens the mobile composer.
• Settings opens as a full-screen section list, then shows the selected panel.
• Identity cards, signatures, From-address choices, and reply-policy controls stack vertically with mobile-size tap targets.
• Light and dark themes use the same responsive layout.

Use the visible message actions and selection checkboxes. Webmail does not currently provide configurable archive/read swipe gestures or a long-press message menu.

Install as a PWA

PWA installation requires HTTPS and a browser that supports installation. Browser menu wording can vary by operating-system and browser version.

iPhone or iPad

1. Open the webmail URL in Safari.
2. Tap Share.
3. Choose Add to Home Screen.
4. Review the name and tap Add.

Open the new icon to run webmail in a standalone window without the normal Safari address bar. If Add to Home Screen is missing, confirm that the page is open in Safari rather than an in-app browser.

Android

1. Open webmail in Chrome or another install-capable browser.
2. Open the browser menu.
3. Choose Install app or Add to Home screen.
4. Confirm the installation.

If the install option is missing, update the browser, reload webmail over HTTPS, and try the browser menu again. Some browsers create a normal home-screen bookmark instead of a standalone PWA.

Desktop

Chromium-based desktop browsers can show an install action in the address bar or application menu. Safari on recent macOS versions offers File → Add to Dock. If the browser has no install support, use a normal bookmark instead.

What installation changes

The service worker intentionally does not cache authenticated pages, message content, attachments, contacts, or mailbox API responses. Every mailbox operation still requires a connection. This protects private mailbox data from being stored in a general PWA cache.

The offline page follows the remembered light or dark theme, supports the same 13 webmail languages including Arabic and Hebrew RTL layout, and retries when the browser reports that the network has returned. It only caches this public page and its brand images.

The install manifest is a small file that tells the phone or browser the app name, icon, colour, start page, and standalone display mode. You do not need to download or configure it: webmail serves the correct manifest automatically for the domain you opened.

Notifications

Webmail can show browser notifications for new mail and calendar reminders while the webmail page is open and polling. Enable them under Settings → Profile → Desktop notifications and grant the browser permission.

This is not service-worker background push. Closing the browser/PWA or allowing the operating system to suspend it stops those checks. Do not rely on the installed PWA for background new-mail alerts. If background sync and notifications are essential, connect the mailbox to a native email client through IMAP/SMTP.

White Label behaviour

On an active White Label Lite host, the login, live webmail, installation, notifications, and offline page use that provider's configured branding:

• The installed app name uses the provider's brand name.
• The install and notification icons use its uploaded favicon. If none is uploaded, webmail creates a neutral mail icon using the brand's primary colour.
• The offline page uses the provider's name, primary colour, light logo, and dark logo. If a dark logo is not uploaded, it uses the light logo; if neither exists, it uses the neutral brand-colour mail icon.
• The offline layout still follows the selected light or dark theme, mobile safe areas, the current language, and RTL direction where applicable.
• The standalone app opens the same branded host and keeps its session separate from the TrekMail host or another provider host.

Install from the URL you actually use for webmail so the icon opens the correct origin and session. Installing both the TrekMail URL and a provider URL can create two separate icons and separate browser sessions.

When a provider changes its branding, the public offline shell refreshes after the next successful webmail navigation. A phone's operating system may keep the old home-screen name or icon for an already installed app; remove and reinstall the shortcut if it does not update.

Current PWA limitations

• No offline reading, search, composing, or queued sending.
• No service-worker background push notifications.
• No operating-system share-target integration for sending files or text into the composer.
• No cached authenticated app shell; navigation remains network-first for privacy and freshness.

Troubleshooting

The icon opens a normal browser tab: Remove the shortcut and install again using the browser's PWA install or Add to Home Screen action. A plain bookmark may not open in standalone mode.

Webmail says “Connection lost” while other sites work: Tap Try again. If it persists, temporarily disable a VPN or content blocker, try the webmail URL in a normal tab, and confirm that the correct branded host still resolves.

The app is stuck after an update: Close it completely and reopen it. If necessary, remove the installed app, clear site data for that host, visit webmail again, and reinstall.

Notifications do not appear: Keep webmail open, verify Settings → Profile → Desktop notifications, and check browser and operating-system permission for that host. Installing the PWA alone does not enable notifications.

I cannot read messages offline: This is expected. Webmail only caches the public connection-lost page and its brand images. Use a native IMAP client with its own offline synchronization when offline mail is required.

Native calendar, contacts, and mail apps

For operating-system calendar and contact sync, use CalDAV and CardDAV:

• Connect iPhone and iPad
• Connect Android with DAVx⁵

For native email notifications and offline mailbox synchronization, see Setting Up TrekMail in Mobile Email Apps.