The short answer
Open the website in Safari, tap the ⋯ button next to the address bar, tap Share, then scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen. Leave Open as Web App switched on and tap Add. The site gets its own icon and opens in its own window, without Safari's address bar. On older iPhones (iOS 18 and earlier) the Share button sits directly in the toolbar instead of behind ⋯. On Android, open the site in Chrome, tap ⋮, then Add to Home screen.
Step-by-step
- 1
Open the website in Safari
Safari is the dependable route on iPhone. Chrome and some other browsers now have an Add to Home Screen option in their share menu too, but Safari is the one Apple documents and the one that gives you the web app version. Go to the page you want to open every day, for example your recipe list on culinarycard.app.
- 2
Tap ⋯, then Share
Since iOS 26, Safari tucks the Share button behind the ⋯ (more) button beside the address bar. Tap ⋯, then Share. If you switched Safari to the older Top or Bottom tab layout in Settings, the Share button (a square with an arrow pointing up) is in the toolbar and you can tap it directly.
- 3
Tap Add to Home Screen
Scroll down the list of actions below the row of apps. If you don't see Add to Home Screen, tap Edit Actions at the bottom of the list, and you can add it to your favorites so it sits near the top next time.
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Keep Open as Web App on, name it, tap Add
The Open as Web App switch decides how the icon opens. On, it launches in its own window with no address bar and shows up as its own app in the App Switcher. Off, it is a plain bookmark that opens a Safari tab. For something you use daily, leave it on. Shorten the name so it fits under the icon, then tap Add.
- 5
Move it where you'll actually use it
Press and hold the new icon to drag it into your dock, a folder or your first page, wherever you'd put a regular app. From now on it opens with a single tap.
On an Android phone
Android does the same thing from Chrome, and it takes about as long. The menu names change a little between phone makers and Chrome versions, so if a label below doesn't match exactly, look for the closest one.
- 1
Open the website in Chrome
Go to the page you want to open every day, for example your recipe list on culinarycard.app. Like on iPhone, the icon opens whichever page you were on when you added it.
- 2
Tap ⋮, then Add to Home screen
The ⋮ (three dots) menu is at the top right, or the bottom right if you moved Chrome's address bar to the bottom. Scroll the menu a little if you don't see Add to Home screen right away. On some sites it says Install app instead, which also adds an icon, though an installed app usually opens the site's start page rather than the page you were on.
- 3
Name it and tap Add
Shorten the name so it fits under the icon, then tap Add. If Chrome asks whether to install it or create a shortcut, either one puts an icon on your home screen.
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Place the icon
Android may ask once more. Tap Add to home screen (or Add automatically) and it lands on the next open spot, or press and hold the icon to drag it where you want it. If you picked Install, Culinary Card opens in its own window with no address bar, like it does on iPhone. A shortcut opens it in a Chrome tab instead.
On a Samsung phone with Samsung Internet
Samsung phones often come with their own browser, Samsung Internet. If that's the one you use, the menu is in a different spot.
- 1
Tap the ☰ menu
It's at the bottom right of the screen, with the page you want to pin open.
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Tap Add page to, then Home screen
Check the name, tap Add, and place the icon the same way as in Chrome.
Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕
Pinning the homepage when you wanted a page inside the site
The icon remembers whichever page you were on when you added it. If what you open every day is your recipe list, go there first and pin that, so every launch skips the homepage.
- ✕
Looking for the Share button in the old place
Most older instructions online, and plenty of friends, will tell you to tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen. Since iOS 26 it lives behind the ⋯ button by default. Nothing is broken; it moved.
- ✕
Switching off Open as Web App by accident
With it off you get a bookmark, which opens a normal Safari tab with tabs, an address bar and everything else. That is fine for a site you visit now and then. For a cooking app at the stove, the full-screen web app version is the one you want.
- ✕
Assuming it uses storage or needs updates
The icon opens the live website, so it takes almost no storage and you always get the latest version without an App Store update.
Why Culinary Card works for this
Culinary Card is built as a web app, so once it is on your home screen it has its own icon, opens full-screen with no browser bars on iPhone, and goes straight to your recipe collection while you cook.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on Android too?
Yes. The steps are in the Android section above: Chrome's ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen. You get the same one-tap icon.
Will the site work offline?
That depends on the site. Web apps can cache some content for offline use, but most need a connection, the same as in the browser.
How do I remove it later?
Press and hold the icon and tap Remove App (on some iPhones it says Delete Bookmark), then confirm. It only removes the icon; your account and data stay as they were.
Why does Culinary Card open without the Safari address bar?
Because you added it with Open as Web App switched on. Culinary Card also ships a web app manifest, which gives it its own icon, name and theme color when it launches.