But take parents example. What is it you want the app version to do that a decent website can’t do?

Well, for starters, UIKit apps are faster and better on battery than web apps. Then we add a bunch of APIs that are just not available to a web app:

- Core Bluetooth

- Core NFC

- Periodic synchronization

- Background upload/download

- Background location tracking (in some cases, it's a plus, though)

- Nearby Interaction

- Anything USB

- No widgets

- No HomeKit integration

- No share extension

- No Live Activities or Dynamic Island content

The list is honestly too long.

To be clear, I do wish that Apple was less hostile towards PWAs and developers were better at making PWAs. Until recently, you couldn't even send a push notification from PWA.

To me the major distinctions are near full functionality even if I'm offline and the app hasn't been used in a long time and offline-first design with all major assets being available for download ahead of time and/or transferable between devices without re-downloading

Sure, but when it is for things like "reimbursements, documentation and reporting, gathering and presenting business data. That sort of thing.", I'm not really sure offline is that big a requirement, or that there are that many major assets. Even so, your mobile browser should be able to cache CSS and hero images.

Not the op, proper graphics.

Web 3D will never compete with native APIs in developer tooling, and hardware capabilities.

Now outside gaming, all CRUD apps could easily be mobile Web.

Okay, but why do you need 3D for an interface where you register leave?

Missed my last sentence?

> this isn't a one-off use, I don't want an app to pay parking meter once and never use it again

Just today I ran into a parkingmeter that was covered up in favor of ONLY allowing to pay via app. Which I find horrendous. (austria, for context)