The button label for opening a webxdc app in chat currently says “Start…” (localized as start_app). This is misleading for apps that already have shared state from other
participants — tapping “Start” on an in-progress timer or collaborative document implies initiating something new, when the user is actually joining/resuming.
Proposal: Rename to “Open” across all clients.
“Open” is the standard verb for files and apps across all major OSes
- It’s neutral about whether the app is new or has existing state
- It avoids confusion with app-specific actions (a timer’s own “Start” button, for example)
- “Start” is arguably accurate (the webview doesn’t run in background), but “Open” is equally accurate and less ambiguous
This applies to Android, iOS, and Desktop, and it came up while building a shared pomodoro timer where the chat preview’s “Start” button conflicted with the app’s own start action.