iPhone & iPad#
On iOS the install lives in the browser’s share sheet. Safari is the most reliable path; on iOS 16.4 and later, Chrome and Edge offer the same “Add to Home Screen” option in their share menus.
- Open nerdlebuddy.com in Safari.
- Tap the Share button — the square with an arrow pointing up.
- Scroll down the share sheet and tap “Add to Home Screen”.
- Keep the name NerdleBuddy (or edit it) and tap “Add”.
- Launch it from your Home Screen — it opens full-screen, without Safari’s address bar.
Don’t see “Add to Home Screen”? You’re probably inside an in-app browser (Instagram, Gmail, and similar apps open links in their own view). Open the page in Safari itself and the option appears.
Installing also unlocks optional streak reminders: on iPhone and iPad, notifications only reach a web app launched from the Home Screen (iOS 16.4 or later).
Android#
Chrome on Android recognises NerdleBuddy as installable, so you may be offered an install banner without touching a menu. The manual path:
- Open nerdlebuddy.com in Chrome.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Add to Home screen” (some Chrome versions label it “Install app”).
- Choose “Install” in the dialog that follows.
- Open NerdleBuddy from your home screen or app drawer — it runs in its own full-screen window, separate from Chrome’s tabs.
Other Android browsers work too: Samsung Internet has “Add page to → Home screen” in its menu, and Firefox for Android offers “Add to Home screen” from its three-dot menu.
Desktop#
Desktop browsers install NerdleBuddy as its own window with a taskbar or Dock icon:
- Chrome Click the install icon at the right end of the address bar and choose “Install”. If the icon isn’t showing, open the three-dot menu → “Cast, save, and share” → “Install page as app…”.
- Microsoft Edge Open the “…” menu → “Apps” → “Install this site as an app”.
- Safari on macOS Open the File menu → “Add to Dock” (macOS Sonoma or later).
- Firefox Desktop Firefox has no full web-app install on most platforms — a pinned tab or bookmark works fine there.
What’s a PWA?#
NerdleBuddy is a progressive web app (PWA): the same website, described by a small manifest file that tells your device how to treat it like an app. Once added, it gets its own icon, its own window, and full-screen play with the browser chrome out of the way.
Installing doesn’t copy the site onto your device, and it doesn’t add offline play — the daily puzzles, verified answers, and your points are live data, so NerdleBuddy needs a connection exactly like the website does. What you gain is the fast path: one tap from the home screen straight into today’s puzzle.
Updates arrive through the website. Reload or reopen the app to pick up changes.
New to the game? Start with the how-to-play guide, and when a board has you stuck, bring it to the Nerdle solver — both work exactly the same inside the installed app.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Why isn’t NerdleBuddy in the App Store or Play Store?
How to install NerdleBuddy on an iPhone, Android phone, or desktop: add the free web app from your browser for full-screen play — no app store needed.
Does NerdleBuddy work offline?
NerdleBuddy caches public pages and files for speed, but does not offer offline play. An internet connection is required.
How do updates work?
Updates arrive through the website. Reload or reopen the app to pick up changes.
How much storage does it use?
Storage use depends on your browser's cached files and saved site data. You can inspect or clear it in your browser settings, though clearing site data also removes local preferences and signs you out.
Will I get notifications?
Only if you turn them on: signed-in players can enable an optional streak reminder in profile settings. On iPhone and iPad that requires the installed Home Screen app on iOS 16.4 or later; on Android and desktop the browser can deliver reminders either way.
How do I uninstall it?
iPhone/iPad: press and hold the icon, then choose “Delete Bookmark” — your progress lives with your account and browser, not the icon. Android: press and hold the icon and drag it to Uninstall. Desktop Chrome/Edge: open the app and pick “Uninstall” from its window menu.
Installed? Put the icon to work
Open today’s puzzle straight from your home screen, or warm up with the solver.