The OP wasn't talking about users, but rather best practices on how to get the App Store makers to feature you. I've heard the App Store editorial team specifically give the "go native" advice.

It's definitely not required, it just helps. Our app got featured in one of the App Store's daily stories despite it being written in React Native.

I kind of doubt that whoever does the feature pics looks at the binaries to figure out if it is native or not. As long as the end result is not easily distinguishable from native, I'm sure you are just as likely to be featured.

Yea if you play around you can really make an app look like native. Even in desktop it's difficult to figure out web apps wrapped under electron when they are done right..

> Even in desktop it's difficult to figure out web apps wrapped under electron when they are done right..

Name one.

VSCode is close if you squint or don't know where to look for the evidence of Electron.

Its UI paradigm looks out of place on macOS–it very much looks like a website in an app wrapper.

For you, but not for most people I’d guess. Or most people don’t care enough and that’s why VSCode is hugely popular.

"Its UI paradigm looks out of place on macOS "- Which part?

Sorry, didn't see the reply. You want a web app as close to native? Look no further - https://www.nylas.com/download, source https://github.com/nylas/nylas-mail.

It's close, but not quite there. I don't see vibrancy or features from standard text controls.

Telegram desktop

Telegram is a native app: https://github.com/overtake/TelegramSwift

I'm an Android developer and a few times in 2017 I confused a Corodva app with a native app. With Chrome 63 and customized over-scroll behavior Twitter PWA is really impressive, no reason to install native Twitter app. 2018 might be breakthrough year for hybrid and PWA apps.

I'd say there's no point just framing your site in a native container, but it's still viable to use webviews where it makes sense. Particularly if you're just delivering loads of static content.

And you're the reason I don't use very many phone apps.

Developer apathy becomes user apathy. If you make great apps, your customers will be enthusiastic about using them. If you make mediocre apps, you will attract mediocre users, or no users at all.

You are most likely using some hybrid apps and you don't even know it. When done right, you pretty much can't tell.

And when done wrong...

Which can be said of native apps as well

For a very long time, and it may still be true, both Uber and Instagram were hybrids. While you may not use them a lot of other people certainly aren't apathetic about those app. Facebook was a hybrid app for years although it's a native app now.

Mediocre apps are annoying, I agree, but that rarely has anything to do with the underlying technology.