In App Browser
A Capacitor plugin for embedding web browsers with advanced features like two-way communication, JavaScript injection, and camera access.
What is In App Browser?
@capgo/inappbrowser is a Capacitor plugin that embeds a web browser within mobile apps, offering advanced features like two-way communication, JavaScript injection, and camera access. It solves limitations of the official Capacitor Browser plugin by enabling deeper integration with web content for scenarios like OAuth flows, embedded web apps, and video calls.
Mobile developers using Capacitor to build hybrid apps who need advanced in-app browser functionality beyond basic webview capabilities.
Developers choose this plugin for its extensive feature set, including bidirectional messaging, custom UI controls, and media access, which are not available in the official Capacitor Browser plugin.
Overview
Capacitor plugin in app browser with urlChangeEvent
Use Cases
Best For
- Implementing OAuth authentication flows within mobile apps
- Embedding interactive web applications with real-time app communication
- Building video call interfaces that require camera and microphone access
- Creating custom browser toolbars with branded UI elements
- Developing picture-in-picture webview experiences with adjustable dimensions
- Managing cookies and cache for webview sessions in hybrid apps
Not Ideal For
- Apps requiring only basic, secure browsing without advanced features
- Web-only or PWA projects since the plugin lacks web platform support
- Teams with strict security policies that avoid relaxing browser restrictions
- Projects using older Capacitor versions, as only the latest major version is actively maintained
Pros & Cons
Pros
Enables real-time two-way communication between the app and webview via postMessage and event listeners, essential for OAuth flows and embedded apps.
Supports camera and microphone access within the webview for video calls and photo capture, with clear setup steps for Android and iOS permissions.
Offers extensive toolbar customization, colors, and layout options, including picture-in-picture modes with adjustable dimensions and touch passthrough.
Allows dynamic JavaScript execution in the webview for content manipulation, with API methods like executeScript for runtime control.
Cons
No web platform support—developers must use window.open for web targets, fragmenting code and increasing maintenance.
Requires manual edits to AndroidManifest.xml and Info.plist for permissions like camera and Google Pay, adding development overhead.
Tied to specific Capacitor major versions with only the latest actively maintained, risking breaking changes and limited backward compatibility.
Some Android options like disableBookmark are marked as undocumented and may break in future updates, reducing reliability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
UpdaterCapacitor plugin for Instant updates: Ship updates, fixes, changes, and features within minutes
Social LoginCapacitor plugin to make login with Google,Apple,Facebook and so on, simple and fast to implement
capacitor-live-activitiesManage iOS Live Activities from Capacitor
capacitor-intercomIntercom Capacitor plugin
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.