wipescreen

Install the Screen Tools App

One icon on your home screen or dock for every tool on this site: white screen, black screen, color test, brightness test, and flashlight. Installs in one tap, works offline, no app store required.

Why install

What installing actually changes

The tools work exactly the same either way. Installing changes how you get to them and how fast they open.

One tap, no browser hunting

An icon on your home screen, dock, or taskbar opens straight into the tool, no typing a URL, no digging through bookmarks or open tabs.

Works with no connection

Once installed, white screen, black screen, color test, brightness test, and flashlight all open and run with no internet connection at all.

A clean, distraction-free window

The installed app opens in its own window, without an address bar, tabs, or bookmarks bar competing for space or attention.

How to install

Install wipescreen on any device

Installation takes a few taps and differs slightly by platform. Here is the exact path for each.
Android

Chrome on Android

  1. 1. Open wipescreen.site in Chrome.
  2. 2. Tap “Install App” above, or tap the three-dot menu.
  3. 3. Tap “Install app” or “Add to Home screen.”
  4. 4. Confirm. The icon appears on your home screen.
iPhone / iPad

Safari on iOS

  1. 1. Open wipescreen.site in Safari.
  2. 2. Tap the Share icon in the toolbar.
  3. 3. Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen.”
  4. 4. Tap “Add.” The icon appears on your home screen.
Windows / Mac

Chrome or Edge on desktop

  1. 1. Open wipescreen.site in Chrome or Edge.
  2. 2. Click “Install App” above, or the install icon in the address bar.
  3. 3. Click “Install” in the confirmation dialog.
  4. 4. The app opens in its own window and adds a shortcut.
Chromebook

Chrome OS

  1. 1. Open wipescreen.site in Chrome.
  2. 2. Click the install icon in the address bar.
  3. 3. Click “Install.” The app pins to your shelf.
Installed app vs. browser tab

What actually changes

FeatureBrowser tabInstalled app
Launch speedOpen browser, navigate, wait for loadOne tap from home screen or dock
Works offlineOnly if the page is already cachedYes, after the first install
Window chromeFull browser UI: tabs, address bar, bookmarksClean, standalone window
Storage usedNone beyond normal browser cacheA few megabytes for the cached app shell
UpdatesAlways currentAutomatic in the background
Account requiredNoNo

Both paths use the exact same tools, the exact same privacy behavior, and the exact same free access. Installing is a convenience choice, not a different product. If you use wipescreen more than a couple of times, installing saves real time over re-typing or re-finding the address each visit.

Who installs this

Real reasons people install a screen tools app

These come from how people actually use the tools day to day, not a generic feature pitch.

“I use the flashlight tool more than I expected”

A laptop that does not have a built-in torch, or a phone where the camera flash is broken or blocked, still has a bright screen. Once installed, the screen flashlight opens as fast as a native torch app, no search or browser tab required.

“I buy and sell used electronics”

Anyone who regularly buys or resells monitors, laptops, or phones benefits from having the color screen test one tap away, ready to run a dead pixel check on a device the moment it is powered on, without waiting on a page load first.

“I clean my monitor every week”

A recurring task deserves a fast shortcut. The white screen tool at full brightness, launched from a home screen icon rather than a bookmark buried in a browser, removes the friction from a habit you already do regularly.

“I want a reading light that doesn’t wake anyone”

The warm-tone brightness test tool works as a soft reading light. Installed, it is available offline, which matters if you are somewhere with unreliable connectivity, like a tent or a plane.

Troubleshooting

If the install option doesn't appear

“Install App” does nothing on desktop

Make sure you are using Chrome or Edge, since Firefox and Safari on desktop do not support the install prompt the same way. Look for a small install icon directly in the address bar as an alternative trigger.

No install option on iPhone

iOS does not support the same install prompt as Android or desktop Chrome. Use Safari specifically, tap the Share icon, then “Add to Home Screen,” described in the platform steps above.

I already installed it once and removed it

Visit this page again in a supported browser and the install option reappears. Your browser remembers that you removed it but does not block reinstalling.

The app opens but looks like a browser tab

If you launched it from a bookmark rather than the installed icon, you are still in the browser. Confirm you are opening it from the home screen or dock icon created during installation, not a saved link.

Under the hood

What a Progressive Web App actually is

A quick, honest explanation of the technology, not marketing language.

It is a website with extra permissions

A Progressive Web App, or PWA, is a standard website that meets a specific set of technical requirements: a web app manifest describing its name and icons, and a service worker that can cache files for offline use. Meeting those requirements is what makes a browser offer to install it as an app.

No app store review, no separate codebase

Unlike a native app built separately for iOS and Android, a PWA is one codebase that runs the same way everywhere, installs directly from the browser, and updates the moment you open it again with a connection, with no manual update step.

The service worker is what enables offline use

A service worker is a small background script your browser runs separately from the page itself. It intercepts network requests and can serve a cached version instantly, which is exactly how the five tools on this site keep working with no internet connection once installed.

Why this fits a tool like this well

A screen flashlight or a quick white screen for cleaning a monitor is exactly the kind of small, frequent-use tool a PWA is built for: fast to open, no reason to justify an app store download, and no benefit from native platform features beyond what a browser already provides.

The technical standard behind this is documented publicly. See MDN’s Progressive Web Apps documentation for the full specification of what a manifest and service worker do.

Storage and privacy

What installing does and does not change

QuestionAnswer
Does it need permissions?No camera, location, contacts, or notification access is requested.
Does it collect more data than the website?No. Installing changes nothing about data collection.
How much storage does it use?A few megabytes, for the cached app shell and tool pages.
Can I clear its storage?Yes, the same way you would clear any site’s data in your browser or device settings.

For the complete picture, read our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, both of which apply identically whether you use wipescreen through a browser tab or the installed app.

FAQ

Common questions about installing

Is the wipescreen app free?

Yes. Installing wipescreen costs nothing, requires no account, and has no ads or in-app purchases. It is the same free tool, just available as an app icon instead of a bookmark.

How is this different from a normal app store app?

wipescreen is a Progressive Web App, or PWA. It installs from your browser instead of an app store, updates automatically in the background, and takes up a fraction of the storage a typical native app uses, since it reuses your browser's engine instead of shipping its own.

Does the app work without an internet connection?

After your first visit, the app shell and all five tools are cached on your device. You can open white screen, black screen, color test, brightness test, or flashlight with no connection at all. You will need a connection the first time you install, and to load new blog guides you have not visited before.

Will installing the app track my usage or collect data?

No. Installing does not change what data is collected. The tools still run entirely on your device with nothing uploaded, exactly as described in our Privacy Policy.

Can I uninstall it if I change my mind?

Yes, the same way you would remove any other app or home-screen shortcut on your device. Uninstalling does not affect your ability to use the tools through a normal browser tab afterward.

Why would I install this instead of just bookmarking the site?

A bookmark still opens inside a full browser window, with an address bar, tabs, and other chrome taking up space. The installed app opens in its own standalone window, launches faster, appears in your app switcher and dock, and works offline. For a tool you reach for quickly, that difference matters.

Install it once, use it anytime

Every tool on this site, in one icon, working offline. Free, no account, no ads.