v1.2.0 · Free · Source on GitHub · iOS 16.0+
Turn any website into a full-screen iPhone app.
ByteViewer opens a site with no browser bars, the right viewport and proper safe areas. Save your sites, set a default, launch them from the Home Screen, a widget or Shortcuts. Native, under a megabyte, source on GitHub.
ByteViewer-1.2.0.ipa · 939 KB · unsigned IPA · checksum
Early build. ByteViewer is compiled and packaged by GitHub Actions and has not yet been run on a physical device by its author. If something does not work, say so on GitHub Issues. Open an issue.
- Price
- Free
- Runs on
- iPhone and iPad, iOS 16.0+
- Install with
- ByteLoader, Sideloadly, AltStore
- Made by
- ByteKnot Labs
Features
A web view that behaves like a real app.
Full screen, nothing else
No address bar, no tabs, no toolbars. The page fills the display and WebKit handles the notch and home indicator like Safari does, so viewport-fit=cover, env(safe-area-inset-*) and 100vh behave. Edge-to-edge is a per-site switch.
Saved sites with a default
Type a URL to open it once, or save sites to a list and reorder them. Mark one as default and ByteViewer launches straight into it.
Per-site display options
Request desktop site, hide the status bar and home indicator, edge to edge, and rotation locked to Auto, Portrait or Landscape. Rotation is forced even when the device rotation lock is on.
Home Screen launchers
Every saved site has a byteviewer://open link, an Add to Home Screen helper and a Shortcuts action called Open Site. Long-press the app icon for your first four sites.
A widget in three sizes
Small opens one site. Medium shows up to four and large up to eight, each tile a link, with the sites' own icons.
Feels like Safari
Safari user agent, shared cookies and logins across your sites, pull to refresh, swipe back and forward, inline and full-screen video, JavaScript dialogs, Share, and mailto and tel links handed to iOS.
Lock it down per site
Stay in this site, keep the screen awake, kiosk mode, Face ID or passcode lock that re-locks in the background, private mode with a throwaway data store, and a switch to allow plain http.
Icons and colour, automatically
ByteViewer reads the site's apple-touch-icon, favicon and theme-color, tints the safe areas and status bar to match, and refreshes them as you browse.
Native, tiny, no dependencies
SwiftUI and WKWebView only, under a megabyte, arm64, native on iPhone and iPad. The full source is on GitHub and every IPA is built by GitHub Actions from a tag.
Install
Not on the App Store. Sideload it in a minute.
The IPA is unsigned. Sign it with your own free Apple ID using any of these tools. One tool per Apple ID.
Step-by-step guide- WindowsRecommended
ByteLoader
Our own sideloader. Plug the phone in over USB, sign in with a free Apple ID, drop the IPA, press Install. It renews the app before the 7-day expiry, over USB or Wi-Fi.
ByteLoader - Mac or Windows
AltStore
My Apps, the plus button, pick the IPA. AltServer refreshes the signature for you.
AltStore - Supported iOS versions only
TrollStore
Installs the IPA without signing, so there is no 7-day expiry.
TrollStore
Under consideration
Ideas, not promises.
Nothing is scheduled yet. Vote or suggest on GitHub Issues.
- Ad and tracker blocking
- Forced dark mode
- Find in page
- Downloads
- Custom CSS and JavaScript per site
- iCloud sync of the site list
- Share extension
FAQ
Questions people ask about ByteViewer.
What is ByteViewer?+
A small iOS app that opens saved websites full screen, like separate apps: no browser bars, Safari-like safe areas, Home Screen launchers, a widget and per-site privacy switches. Built with SwiftUI and WKWebView by ByteKnot Labs, with the source public on GitHub.
Is it on the App Store?+
No. Apple's App Store guideline 4.2 can reject apps that are only a website wrapper, so ByteViewer is distributed as an IPA on GitHub and installed with a sideloading tool. Installing on your own devices is not affected by that rule.
Has it been tested on a real iPhone?+
Not yet by the author. Every release is compiled and packaged by GitHub Actions, and the facts on this site were checked against the code and the shipped IPA, but device testing is still to come. Treat 1.x as an early build and report anything odd on GitHub Issues.
How do I install the IPA?+
The IPA carries no provisioning profile, so tapping it on the phone does nothing. Sign it with your own Apple ID using ByteLoader on Windows or AltStore, or install it unsigned with TrollStore on the iOS versions it supports. The guide walks through ByteLoader step by step.
Do I need a paid Apple Developer account?+
No. A free Apple ID works with ByteLoader and AltStore. Apps signed with a free Apple ID expire after 7 days and the tool refreshes them; ByteLoader does that automatically when the phone is reachable. A paid developer account removes the 7-day limit.
Which devices and iOS versions does it support?+
iPhone and iPad on iOS 16.0 or later, arm64 only. It runs as a native iPad app but requires full screen, so no Split View or Slide Over. There is no macOS version.
Why does the widget say "Add sites in ByteViewer"?+
The widget reads your site list through an App Group entitlement. If the signing tool strips that entitlement or does not register the group with your Apple ID, the app still works and only the widget shows that message. How ByteLoader handles the widget extension is not yet confirmed.
Are logins shared between my sites?+
Yes. All non-private sites share one persistent WebKit data store, like a single browser profile, separate from Safari. A site in private mode gets a throwaway store each time it opens. Each saved site also has a Clear cookies and site data action.
Can I open plain http:// sites?+
Plain http is upgraded to https by default. Turn on the site's "Allow plain http://" switch to load it as http, for example for a device on your local network.
How do I put a site on my Home Screen with its own icon?+
Swipe right on the site or long-press it and choose Add to Home Screen, which walks you through it. Every saved site also has a byteviewer://open?site= link and a Shortcuts action called Open Site, so you can build a Shortcut with any icon. byteviewer://open?url= opens any address without saving it.
What does kiosk mode do, and how do I get out?+
It hides the controls, status bar and home indicator and disables swipe navigation, link previews and pull to refresh. To leave: three-finger tap, pass Face ID or your passcode, then Close site. It does not block the Home gesture; for that, use iOS Guided Access.
Does ByteViewer collect data?+
No. There are no accounts, analytics, crash reports, update checks or ads. Your site list and cached icons stay on the device and in its backups. The only network traffic is the sites you open, the icon lookup when you add a site, and GitHub if you tap the link.
Is ByteViewer open source?+
The complete source is public at github.com/isthatdhruv/ByteViewer, and releases are built from it by GitHub Actions. A licence file has not been added yet, so until then it is source-available rather than formally open source.
Download · iOS 16.0 or later
Get ByteViewer 1.2.0. Free.
The button downloads ByteViewer-1.2.0.ipa (939 KB) directly from the latest GitHub release. Then sign and install it with ByteLoader on Windows or AltStore on Mac.