Using bun.ink on a Mobile Device

Writing rarely happens at a desk alone. An idea arrives on the train, a paragraph gets better on the sofa, a note has to be captured on the go. bun.ink is designed with exactly these moments in mind, so that the app remains perfectly usable on mobile devices too.

That's why the focus isn't only on a large desktop interface, but on a responsive, simple design. The view should adapt to smartphones and tablets, controls should stay within reach, and the editor shouldn't feel heavier than it needs to. When you're writing, what counts is having as little as possible standing between the idea and the text.

Browser-only instead of an app store hurdle

bun.ink deliberately takes a browser-only approach. That means you don't have to search for an app in an app store first, install it and keep it up to date. You open bun.ink in your browser and can get started right away.

The app works in most modern mobile browsers. bun.ink is optimised for Chrome, because Chrome has particularly good support for Progressive Web Apps and is very widespread on Android devices. At the same time, access stays low-threshold: anyone with a supported mobile browser can use bun.ink without going through a classic installation.

The feel of an app without a classic installation

Even so, bun.ink shouldn't feel like just another website. Dedicated icons are provided for smartphones and tablets, so you can launch bun.ink directly as a shortcut from your home screen. This principle follows the idea of Progressive Web Apps (PWA): a web app is delivered through the browser, yet can be available on the device just like an app.

The benefit is a practical one: you tap the icon, land straight in your writing environment, and don't have to type an address or hunt for a bookmark every time.

Adding bun.ink to your home screen

Depending on your device and browser, the menu item is named slightly differently. The basic principle stays the same, though: open the page, call up the browser menu, add to home screen or install.

iPhone and iPad (Safari)

1. Open bun.ink in Safari.
2. Tap the share icon in the Safari bar.
3. Choose Add to Home Screen.
4. Check the suggested name or adjust it.
5. Tap Add.
6. The bun.ink icon appears on your home screen and can be moved around like any app icon.

If the option isn't immediately visible, it may be further down the list of actions or can be shown by editing the actions.

Android (Chrome)

1. Open bun.ink in Chrome.
2. Tap the three-dot menu on the right of the address bar.
3. Choose Add to Home screen or, if available, Install app.
4. Follow the steps shown on screen.
5. bun.ink then appears as an icon on your home screen.
6. From now on, launch bun.ink straight from that icon.

On Android, Chrome may distinguish between a simple home screen shortcut and an installable web app, depending on the website and your device settings. What matters for you above all: bun.ink is quicker to reach afterwards and feels considerably closer to an app in everyday use.

Always up to date, without update stress

One big advantage of this approach is less visible, but very valuable day to day: updates happen in the background. Improvements can be rolled out the same day, without you having to download an update from an app store.

So you never have to wonder whether your app version is still current. When bun.ink is improved, you automatically get the best available version the next time you load it. That keeps things uncomplicated and helps on older devices, too: as long as the mobile browser is still supported, bun.ink can keep running.

What's different on your phone

The editor works the same on a smartphone as it does at your desk — only the controls around it are tailored to the small screen:

• The toolbar stays put. It doesn't scroll out of view, so the formatting menu and saving are always within reach.
• One swipe to the sidebar and back. On a phone, the sidebar with files, GitHub and history sits on top of the text. Instead of scrolling all the way up through your text, you swipe down on the toolbar: that takes you to the sidebar and remembers where you were in the text. A swipe up brings you back to that spot — even from the end of a long chapter.
• Tabs as a compact list. Instead of a tab bar, you pick open documents from a list.
• Suggestions in full screen. When a review arrives as a pull request, Show suggestions opens it across the full width. Back to the text returns you to the editor, and tapping a spot in the suggestions jumps straight to its line in the text.

Writing where the text comes to life

bun.ink doesn't want to put another hurdle between you and your text. The mobile browser, the home screen icon and automatic updates therefore work hand in hand: you reach the app quickly, use it on your smartphone and tablet in an interface built for the screen, and never have to worry about installation or update routines.

That way the focus stays where it belongs: on the writing.