Installing the app

There's no App Store or Play Store download. The Hydroscape App is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means you install it directly from the website to your phone's home screen in two taps. It works exactly like a native app once installed — offline mode included.

Because we don't need one. The app is a web app, delivered over HTTPS, that installs to your phone without going through any app store. This means:

• Updates are instant — no "update available" prompts, no waiting for store review
• No tracking you didn't agree to — nothing leaks to ad networks via store metadata
• One codebase, every device — the app works identically on iOS, Android, and desktop
• Offline-first — once installed, the app caches itself and works without signal

If you're used to app stores, it takes a second to trust. But it's the same code, delivered more directly.

1. Open app.hydroscape-group.co.uk in Safari (not Chrome — Apple only lets Safari install PWAs on iOS)
2. Tap the Share button (square with an up-arrow) at the bottom of the screen
3. Scroll down the share sheet and tap Add to Home Screen
4. Give it a name (or keep "Hydroscape") and tap Add
5. The Hydroscape icon appears on your home screen. Tap it to open in full-screen app mode.

1. Open app.hydroscape-group.co.uk in Chrome
2. Tap the three-dot menu (top right)
3. Tap Install app or Add to Home screen (wording varies by Android version)
4. Confirm. The icon appears on your home screen and in your app drawer.

Android may prompt you with an install banner automatically — if so, just tap Install.

1. Open app.hydroscape-group.co.uk
2. Look for an install icon in the address bar (a small desktop-with-arrow icon)
3. Click it, confirm
4. The app opens in its own window and pins to your taskbar/dock

You'll see two install options on the install page:

• The Hydroscape App — the main app (sightings, water quality, cormorants, HydroLibrary)
• HydroTasks — our separate outdoor task management app for fishery managers and teams. Different use case. Install it if you're using Hydroscape at club level, otherwise you don't need it.

• Open the app from the home screen icon, not the browser — you'll get the full-screen, no-address-bar experience
• The app works offline. If you submit a sighting without signal, it queues and uploads when you're back online
• If you see "update available" it'll refresh automatically the next time you open it

• Check you're using the right browser (Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android)
• Check the site is loaded over HTTPS (it should be — we don't serve over HTTP)
• Clear your browser cache and try again
• Email info@hydroscape-group.co.uk if it's still not working

• What is the Reporting Hub?
• How to submit a sighting
• Does the app work offline?