Show the WordPress PWA Install Prompt After Scroll Depth or Visit Count

Someone lands on your WordPress homepage. The hero is still settling. A full-width “Install app” strip covers the headline. They close it on reflex. Or they leave.

That is the browser-default install moment: early, loud, and easy to train people to ignore. A Progressive Web App only helps if people actually add it. Timing beats clever copy.

Progressify is the DaftPlug PWA plugin. For install invitations it gives you five prompt styles (banner, popup, overlay, button, QR) shown on rules you set: visit count, time on page, or scroll depth. Dismissed once stays dismissed for as long as you configure. This post is that surface, not push, offline forms, or store bundles.

When you want to see which devices and browsers actually convert later, pair this with WordPress PWA install analytics by device, browser, and country.

What Progressify actually ships for install prompts

Stay inside the real feature set:

• Five prompt styles: banner, popup, overlay, button, QR code
• Triggers: visit count, time on page, or scroll depth
• Dismiss memory: dismissed once stays dismissed for the window you set
• Supporting context nearby (not the focus here): manifest, service worker, icons, install analytics, push from wp-admin, offline cache and branded offline page, Autosave Forms, app-like UI, Android/iOS app store bundles

The contract is simple. Ask after intent, not on first paint. One clear style beats three overlays fighting the page.

Why first-visit install spam fails

Browsers can fire a native install event when a site meets PWA criteria. That event is useful. It is also blunt. It does not know if someone read a paragraph, scrolled past the fold, or came back twice.

Ask on first paint and you look like an interstitial ad. Ask after they decided the site is worth keeping, and installs climb without sounding spammy.

Real WordPress traffic makes this worse:

1. Mobile visitors bounce when a modal covers the CTA they came for.
2. Returning customers already trust you. First-timers need a fair look first.
3. Desktop readers may never want a phone install. A QR path helps them without a modal fight.
4. People who said “no” last week still hate being asked again on every navigation.

Rules plus dismiss memory fix the manners problem. Analytics later tell you whether the manners paid off.

How to set install prompt rules in wp-admin

Assume Progressify is installed and the PWA core (manifest + service worker + icons) is already on. An install prompt without a valid PWA stack is theater.

1. Open Progressify and find install prompt settings

In wp-admin, open Progressify. Locate the install prompt / add-to-home controls. You should see style choices and trigger options for visit count, time on page, and scroll depth, plus a dismiss duration.

If the service worker is missing or the manifest is incomplete, fix that first. Chrome → DevTools → Application → Manifest and Service Workers. Progressify’s worker should be registered and active.

2. Pick one primary style (not all five)

Treat the five styles as UX tools:

• Banner. Low interruption. Good for blogs and long reads.
• Popup. Stronger ask. Use after scroll or time, so it feels earned.
• Overlay. Highest attention. Pair with a strict trigger (second visit, deep scroll). On first paint it feels like an ad.
• Button. Always-available control for people who want install on their terms. Header, footer, or account area work well.
• QR code. Desktop-friendly path to a phone install. Someone reading on a laptop can scan and add on mobile.

Enable one primary ask. Optionally keep a quiet button as a backup. Do not stack banner + popup + overlay on the same view.

3. Set a trigger that matches how people use the site

Visit count. Wait until the second or third visit for habitual sites (news, membership, store). Returning visitors already know the place.

Time on page. A short delay (enough to read a section) beats an instant modal. Start conservative. Tighten later with install analytics.

Scroll depth. If someone scrolled past the hero into real content, they are engaged. That is a cleaner moment than the first 200ms of paint.

Combine carefully when the UI allows it. “Second visit and 50% scroll” is usually smarter than “any visit, immediate popup.”

4. Set dismiss memory so “no” means no for a while

Nothing kills trust like a prompt that returns on every click. Configure how long a dismiss sticks. A week, two weeks, a month. Match it to how often people return.

If someone said no today, give them breathing room. You can invite again later. You cannot undo the annoyance of a sticky nag.

5. Brand the install so the home-screen tile looks like you

Use your icon, app name, splash, and theme colour from the Progressify manifest settings. The tile should look like your brand, not a generic browser shortcut. That is part of the install promise, even when the prompt style is a simple banner.

6. Smoke-test on real devices, then watch analytics

Test Android Chrome and iOS Safari separately. Install paths differ by platform. Confirm the prompt appears only after your rule fires, that dismiss sticks for the window you set, and that a successful install still works.

Then use install analytics (device, browser, country) to see what converted. Timing rules without measurement are guesses you keep forever.

What good looks like

A solid install-prompt setup feels quiet:

• First-time visitors can read without a modal fight.
• Engaged visitors (deep scroll, real time on page, or a return visit) see one clear ask.
• Dismiss sticks for days or weeks, not the next click.
• Banner or button sites stay readable; overlay sites only fire after a strict rule.
• QR helps desktop readers install on phones without a second modal.
• Install analytics later show device, browser, and country mix that matches your traffic, not a spike of rage-dismissals on first paint.

If analytics show lots of prompt views and almost no installs, your trigger is still too early or your style is too aggressive. Move the rule later before you rewrite the copy again.

Pitfalls (the ones that bite)

Enabling every style at once. Visitors see noise, not an invitation. One primary style.

Triggering at 0% scroll / 0 seconds / first visit. You recreated browser spam with custom branding.

Ignoring dismiss duration. Re-prompting every pageview teaches people to hate PWAs.

Prompting over checkout or a long form. Do not cover the money path. Use a button style on those templates, or wait until they leave the critical flow.

Skipping the service worker check. A pretty prompt cannot install a broken PWA.

Never looking at install analytics. You will not know if “third visit” beats “50% scroll” on your audience.

Confusing install prompts with push. Push from wp-admin is retention after install. Get the add-to-home ask right first.

Practical checklist before you call it done

1. Confirm manifest + service worker are active.
2. Choose one primary prompt style (banner, popup, overlay, button, or QR).
3. Set visit count, time on page, or scroll depth so the ask lands after intent.
4. Set dismiss memory to a real cooldown (days or weeks, not minutes).
5. Brand icon, name, splash, and theme colour.
6. Test on Android Chrome and iOS Safari.
7. Confirm dismiss sticks across reloads for the window you set.
8. Turn on install analytics and review a week of device/browser/country data.
9. Keep push, offline, and store bundles for a later pass.

Takeaway

Install prompts fail when they interrupt before trust. They work when they wait for scroll depth, time on page, or a return visit, then stay quiet after a dismiss.

Progressify gives you five prompt styles on those rules, with dismiss memory you control, on top of the PWA stack (manifest, service worker, icons) and the rest of the app-like toolkit when you need it. Start with one style and one trigger. Measure. Then tighten.

One Pro membership unlocks Progressify plus Lightify, Generatify, Rankify, and Snapshotify. New Pro plugins join existing memberships. Plans differ by site count only. See pricing when you want install invites that feel earned, not forced.

Ship the rule. Scroll your own homepage past the fold. When the prompt appears only then, you fixed the manners problem.