In App Browser Capacitor plugin

Using @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser

@capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser opens external web content from a Capacitor app. Use open() for the platform browser surface, or openWebView() when your app needs a managed native WebView with custom size, toolbar, messages, scripts, downloads, proxying, popup control, private storage, or Ionic UI layered above the page.

Install

npm install @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser
npx cap sync

What This Plugin Exposes

• System browser flow with Chrome Custom Tabs on Android and SFSafariViewController on iOS.
• Managed WebViews that can be sized, hidden, shown, moved behind the Capacitor app, and brought back to the front.
• Click, touch, and scroll forwarding with dispatchInputEvent() when app UI sits above the browser.
• Partial-screen browsers where taps outside the native WebView frame pass through to the Capacitor app on Android and iOS.
• Cookie, cache, and full browsing-data cleanup with persistWebViewData, clearCookies, clearAllCookies, clearCache, and clearAllBrowsingData.
• App-to-page communication with postMessage(), page-to-app communication with window.mobileApp.postMessage(...), and script injection with executeScript().
• Download handling, native-first proxy rules, popup control, Google Pay support, _blank link handling, and hidden preloadable browser instances.

Common Use Cases

Put App UI Above a Live Browser

import { InAppBrowser } from '@capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser';

const { id } = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({
  url: 'https://example.com/checkout',
  toBack: true,
  transparentBackground: true,
});

await InAppBrowser.dispatchInputEvent({
  id,
  type: 'click',
  x: 160,
  y: 420,
});

await InAppBrowser.bringToFront({ id });

Use this for checkout overlays, browser-backed payment flows, guided support flows, or any feature where Ionic controls need to stay above live web content.

Keep the App Clickable Around a Browser Sheet

const { id } = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({
  url: 'https://example.com/offers',
  height: window.innerHeight - 200,
  y: 0,
});

await InAppBrowser.updateDimensions({ id, height: window.innerHeight });

A custom-sized browser only captures touches inside its frame. The remaining visible app area stays tappable on Android and iOS.

Avoid Persistent Web Sessions

const { id } = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({
  url: 'https://example.com/login',
  persistWebViewData: false,
});

await InAppBrowser.clearAllBrowsingData();
await InAppBrowser.close({ id });

Use this for account switching, checkout testing, support impersonation, or auth flows where cookies, cache, local storage, and IndexedDB should not survive longer than needed.

Preload and Swap Multiple WebViews

const first = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({ url: 'https://example.com/a', hidden: true });
const second = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({ url: 'https://example.com/b', hidden: true });

await InAppBrowser.show({ id: first.id });
await InAppBrowser.hide({ id: first.id });
await InAppBrowser.show({ id: second.id });

Hidden instances keep their state available while avoiding native overlays that block app touches.

Embed an Advanced Web App

const { id } = await InAppBrowser.openWebView({
  url: 'https://example.com/portal',
  handleDownloads: true,
  openBlankTargetInWebView: true,
  hiddenPopupWindow: true,
  outboundProxyRules: [
    {
      urlRegex: '^https://example\\.com/api/',
      action: 'delegateToJs',
    },
  ],
});

await InAppBrowser.postMessage({
  id,
  detail: { source: 'app', action: 'refresh' },
});

Use this pattern for document portals, upload flows, support desks, video calls, Google Pay pages, or interactive web apps that need native app control without leaving the app shell.

Full Reference

• GitHub: https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-inappbrowser/
• Docs: /docs/plugins/inappbrowser/

Keep going from Using @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser

If you are using Using @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser to plan native plugin work, connect it with @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser for the implementation detail in @capgo/capacitor-inappbrowser, Getting Started for the implementation detail in Getting Started, Capgo Plugin Directory for the product workflow in Capgo Plugin Directory, Capacitor Plugins by Capgo for the implementation detail in Capacitor Plugins by Capgo, and Adding or Updating Plugins for the implementation detail in Adding or Updating Plugins.