How to Add Your Digital Guest Guide to Your Phone's Home Screen

How to Add Your Digital Guest Guide to Your Phone's Home Screen

Picture this: your guest has just arrived at your holiday rental. They're tired from travelling, it's late, and they need to find the WiFi password, check-in instructions, or figure out how the heating works. They scroll through their messages trying to find the link you sent them three days ago. It's buried under flight confirmations, taxi receipts, and group chat messages. Sound familiar?

This is one of the biggest pain points for both hosts and guests. You've spent time creating a beautiful digital guest guide with everything your guests need - WiFi details, house rules, local recommendations, check-out instructions - but when they actually need it, the link is lost in a sea of messages. They end up messaging you directly, often at unsociable hours, asking questions that are already answered in the guide.

There's a simple solution that changes everything: the "Add to Home Screen" feature. With one tap, your guests can save your digital guest guide directly to their phone's home screen, just like a regular app. No app store, no download, no account creation. Just instant, offline access to everything they need - right from their phone.

What Is "Add to Home Screen" and Why Does It Matter?

You might have heard the term "Progressive Web App" or PWA thrown around in tech circles, but you don't need to understand the technical details. Here's what matters for you as a host: when your guest visits your digital guest guide on their phone, they can save it to their home screen with a single tap. Once saved, it appears as an icon on their phone - just like Instagram, WhatsApp, or any other app they use daily.

But unlike a traditional app, there's no download from the App Store or Google Play. There's no sign-up process, no updates to install, and no storage space wasted. Your guest simply taps "Add to Home Screen" and your guide is instantly accessible from their phone's main screen.

Here's what makes this so powerful for a mobile guest guide:

Offline access - Once your guest has loaded the guide, the content is cached on their device. Even if they lose WiFi or mobile signal (common in rural holiday lets), they can still access your guide and find the information they need. This is a game-changer for an offline guest guide experience. Instant loading - Because the content is stored locally, your digital guest guide loads in under a second. No waiting for slow connections or page refreshes. Full-screen experience - When opened from the home screen, your guide runs in full-screen mode without browser bars or distractions. It looks and feels like a native app, giving your guests a premium, professional experience. No app store required - Your guests don't need to search for anything, create accounts, or give permissions. One tap and they're set. This removes all friction from the guest experience.

Watch: How Guests Add Your Guide to Their Phone

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See exactly how the process works in this short walkthrough video. We show you the guest experience on both iPhone and Android, from opening the guide link to having it saved on the home screen.

How to Add on iPhone (Safari)

If your guest is using an iPhone, the process takes about 10 seconds using Safari. Here's exactly what they need to do:

Step 1: Open the guest guide link in Safari. This is important - the Add to Home Screen feature only works in Safari on iPhone, not Chrome or other browsers. Step 2: Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen (the square with an arrow pointing up). Step 3: Scroll down in the share menu and tap "Add to Home Screen". Step 4: Your guest can customise the name if they want, then tap "Add" in the top right corner. That's it! Your digital guest guide now appears as an app icon on their iPhone home screen. They can tap it anytime to instantly access WiFi passwords, house rules, local recommendations, and everything else you've included in your guide.

How to Add on Android (Chrome)

For guests using Android phones, the process is just as simple using Chrome. In fact, Android often makes it even easier by automatically prompting guests to install the guide. Here's the manual process:

Step 1: Open the guest guide link in Chrome (the default browser on most Android phones). Step 2: Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right corner of Chrome. Step 3: Tap "Add to Home screen" or "Install app" from the dropdown menu. Step 4: Confirm by tapping "Add" or "Install". On many Android devices, Chrome will automatically show a banner at the bottom of the screen asking "Add to Home screen?" - making it even easier for guests. Your mobile guest guide will then appear as an icon on their home screen, ready to use anytime.

Why This Matters for Hosts

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As a host, you might be thinking: "My guests already have the link, why does this matter?" The difference between a link buried in messages and an icon on someone's home screen is enormous. Here's why this feature can transform your hosting experience:

Fewer Repetitive Guest Messages

The number one reason guests message hosts with questions is because they can't find the guide link. When your digital guest guide lives on their home screen, they'll check the guide first before reaching out to you. This means fewer late-night messages asking "what's the WiFi password?" or "what time is check-out?" - questions that are already answered in your guide.

Offline Access for Rural Properties

If your holiday let is in a rural area with patchy signal, an offline guest guide is essential. Once saved to the home screen, your guide content is cached locally. Guests can access WiFi instructions, emergency contacts, and house rules even when they have no internet connection. This is particularly valuable for countryside cottages, coastal properties, and mountain retreats where connectivity can be unreliable.

Professional, App-Like Experience

First impressions matter in hospitality. When your guest opens a full-screen, beautifully branded digital guidebook from their home screen, it signals professionalism and attention to detail. This is the kind of touch that turns a 4-star review into a 5-star review. Guests notice when hosts go the extra mile, and an Airbnb digital guidebook that works like a native app is exactly that kind of premium detail.

Increased Guide Engagement

Data shows that guides saved to the home screen are accessed 3-4 times more often than guides accessed via a message link. When your guide is always one tap away, guests are more likely to check your local recommendations, follow your house rules, and use the information you've carefully prepared. More engagement means a smoother stay for everyone.

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How to Enable It in CheckinGuide

If you're using CheckinGuide to create your digital guest guides, enabling the "Add to Home Screen" prompt is simple. Here's how to turn it on:

1. Open your Property Editor - Navigate to the property you want to update. 2. Go to Settings - Look for the PWA / Home Screen section in your property settings. 3. Toggle "Prompt guests to add to home screen" - When enabled, guests visiting your guide on a mobile device will automatically see a friendly prompt encouraging them to save the guide to their home screen. 4. Save and publish - That's all there is to it. The prompt will appear for all mobile visitors to your guide.

The prompt is designed to be helpful, not intrusive. It appears once when a guest first visits your guide on mobile, giving them a clear explanation of the benefits and a one-tap option to save it. Guests who dismiss it won't be bothered again. Want to see all the features CheckinGuide offers? Check out our features page for a full overview of what's included.

Give Your Guests the Best Experience

The "Add to Home Screen" feature is one of the simplest ways to dramatically improve your guest experience. It eliminates the most common friction point - finding the guide - and replaces it with instant, one-tap access that works offline. To recap what your guests get: • One-tap access from their phone's home screen • Offline availability - works without WiFi or mobile signal • Instant loading - no waiting for pages to load • Full-screen experience - looks and feels like a premium app • Zero friction - no downloads, no accounts, no app store

Whether you're hosting a city apartment, a countryside cottage, or a beachfront villa, giving your guests a digital guest guide they can save to their phone is one of the smartest investments you can make in your hosting business. Ready to create your own digital guest guide with Add to Home Screen? Get started with CheckinGuide for free and have your first guide live in minutes.

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• Free forever for your first guide
• No app for guests to download
• ID checks and deposits built in
• Cuts repetitive guest questions by 80%