How to convert a PHP website into an Android App Using WebView (Java & Kotlin Guide)

Converting a PHP website into an Android app allows businesses to expand their reach and offer users a seamless, mobile-friendly experience. The most efficient way to achieve this is using WebView, which lets you load web content inside an Android application.

This guide explains step-by-step implementation using Java and Kotlin, covering WebView setup, customization, and additional enhancements for better performance and user experience.

1. Why Convert a PHP Website into an Android App?

✔ Better Mobile Experience: Websites might not always provide the best user experience on mobile, whereas apps can offer optimized interactions. 

✔ Offline Functionality: WebView allows caching and local storage integration for limited offline access. 

✔ Push Notifications & Native Features: You can integrate Firebase Notifications, GPS, and camera access inside the app. 

✔ Increased Engagement: Having a dedicated app improves brand visibility and retention.

2. Using WebView to Load a PHP Website in an Android App

The simplest approach is embedding WebView in an Android app to render the PHP website.

Steps to Implement WebView:

✔ Create a New Android Project 

✔ Add WebView to Your Layout 

✔ Enable JavaScript & Web Settings 

✔ Handle WebView Navigation Controls 

✔ Compile & Test the App

3. WebView Implementation in Java

Step 1: Create a New Android Project

Open Android Studio → Select New Project → Choose Empty Activity → Configure the package name.

Step 2: Add WebView to Your Layout

Modify the activity_main.xml file to include WebView:

<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"

    android:layout_width="match_parent"

    android:layout_height="match_parent">



    <WebView

        android:id="@+id/webView"

        android:layout_width="match_parent"

        android:layout_height="match_parent"/>



</RelativeLayout> 

Step 3: Load Your PHP Website in WebView

Now, configure MainActivity.java to initialize WebView and load the website:

import android.os.Bundle;

import android.webkit.WebSettings;

import android.webkit.WebView;

import android.webkit.WebViewClient;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;



public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private WebView webView;



    @Override

    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {

        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);



        webView = findViewById(R.id.webView);



        // Enable JavaScript

        WebSettings webSettings = webView.getSettings();

        webSettings.setJavaScriptEnabled(true);

        

        // Handle navigation inside WebView

        webView.setWebViewClient(new WebViewClient());



        // Load PHP website URL

        webView.loadUrl("https://yourwebsite.com");

    }

}

Step 4: Handle WebView Navigation Controls

Prevent the app from opening external browsers:

webView.setWebViewClient(new WebViewClient() {

    @Override

    public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) {

        view.loadUrl(url);

        return true;

    }

});

4. WebView Implementation in Kotlin

Now, let’s convert the same WebView implementation to Kotlin for projects using Kotlin-based development.

Step 1: Modify activity_main.xml

<WebView

    android:id="@+id/webView"

    android:layout_width="match_parent"

    android:layout_height="match_parent"/> 

Step 2: Initialize WebView in MainActivity.kt

import android.os.Bundle

import android.webkit.WebSettings

import android.webkit.WebView

import android.webkit.WebViewClient

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity



class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var webView: WebView



    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {

        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)



        webView = findViewById(R.id.webView)



        // Enable JavaScript

        val webSettings: WebSettings = webView.settings

        webSettings.javaScriptEnabled = true



        // Handle navigation inside WebView

        webView.webViewClient = WebViewClient()



        // Load PHP website URL

        webView.loadUrl("https://yourwebsite.com")

    }

}

Step 3: Handle Web Navigation in Kotlin

webView.webViewClient = object : WebViewClient() {

    override fun shouldOverrideUrlLoading(view: WebView, url: String): Boolean {

        view.loadUrl(url)

        return true

    }

}

5. Enhancing WebView for Better User Experience

Enable Zoom Controls:

java

webView.getSettings().setBuiltInZoomControls(true);

webView.getSettings().setDisplayZoomControls(false);

kotlin

webView.settings.builtInZoomControls = true webView.settings.displayZoomControls = false 

Support Local Storage & Cookies

java

webView.getSettings().setDomStorageEnabled(true);

kotlin

webView.settings.domStorageEnabled = true 

Handling Back Button Navigation

java

@Override public void onBackPressed() {

    if (webView.canGoBack()) {

        webView.goBack();

    } else {

        super.onBackPressed();

    }

}

kotlin

override fun onBackPressed() {

    if (webView.canGoBack()) {

        webView.goBack()

    } else {

        super.onBackPressed()

    }

}

6. Compiling & Generating APK for Deployment

Once WebView is fully set up, follow these steps to generate an APK: 

✔ Click Build → Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) → Generate APK. 

✔ Test the APK on real devices or an emulator. 

✔ Upload it to Google Play Store for distribution.

7. Advanced Enhancements (Beyond Basic WebView)

If you need native app features like offline caching, push notifications, or database access, consider these options:

✔ Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Improve mobile compatibility without full native development. 

✔ Hybrid Frameworks (Flutter, React Native): Blend WebView with native UI components. 

✔ Full Native Development: Convert PHP functionality into REST APIs and integrate with a fully native Android app.

Using WebView is the fastest way to convert a PHP website into an Android app. Whether you choose Java or Kotlin, integrating WebView ensures seamless mobile access to your existing PHP application.

If you're looking for advanced features, consider hybrid frameworks or progressive web apps (PWAs) for better performance and flexibility.