A PWA (Progressive Web App) is an application that runs directly in your web browser—no app store required, no installation process, no company gatekeeping what you can and cannot access. It works on any device with a modern web browser: phones, tablets, computers. You simply visit the website, and the CARE Package installs itself locally on your device.
In theory.
How It Works in Your Browser
When you first open the CARE Package PWA, it downloads the entire application to your device and stores it in your browser's cache. After that initial download, the app works offline—you don't need an internet connection to use it. Your data stays on your device. No servers. No syncing to cloud storage. No third party has access to your health information.
Why PWA Instead of App Store?
There are three critical reasons:
Privacy: App stores require you to submit your application through their systems. They review it, store it on their servers, and can see what it does. A PWA bypasses that entirely. Your data never touches anyone's servers except yours—and only if you choose to back it up somewhere.
Control: App stores can remove applications, update them without your permission, or decide your app violates their terms. A PWA is yours. You control when it updates, what it contains, and how it works. No corporation can remove it or change it without your knowledge.
Simplicity: No downloading from an app store. No creating accounts. No permissions dialogs asking for access to your contacts, location, or camera. You open a web browser, visit a link, and the app is ready to use. That's it.
The CARE Package as a PWA respects your autonomy and your privacy in a way that traditional app store applications simply cannot.
Here's what the tech industry doesn't advertise: your browser can delete cached applications whenever it decides it needs the space.
iOS Safari is particularly aggressive. If you don't open a PWA for as little as 7 days, Apple may silently delete it from your device—along with all the data you entered. There's no warning. No confirmation. You open the app one day and everything is gone. You'll need to revisit the website, re-download the application, and start over.
Android is more forgiving, but not immune. Heavy device usage, low storage, or clearing browser data can wipe out your cached PWA and its data without notice.
This isn't a flaw in the CARE Package. It's how all browser-based PWAs work. And for a health documentation system where your data matters, "probably fine most of the time" isn't good enough.
Instead of trusting your browser's cache, you can download the entire CARE Package as a ZIP file and store it permanently on your device. No internet connection ever needed. No cache eviction. No silent deletions.
This approach requires slightly more technical skill—extracting a ZIP file and opening an HTML file—but that's exactly the kind of skill this website exists to help you develop. Taking control of your health information means taking control of how it's stored.
This is exactly what privacy-focused applications like Standard Notes and Joplin recommend: don't rely on browsers or cloud services when you don't have to.