Final month, Apple confirmed that iOS 17.4 would take away help for House Display screen internet apps within the European Union. On the time, Apple mentioned this resolution was as a consequence of necessities underneath the Digital Markets Act associated to help for various browser engines on iPhone.
Apple is now strolling again that call and says it’s going to “proceed to supply the present House Display screen internet apps functionality within the EU.”
House Display screen internet apps are right here to remain
Apple’s resolution to take away House Display screen internet apps, also referred to as progressive internet apps or PWAs, confronted a variety of criticism. The Open Net Advocacy group, for instance, mentioned “complete classes of apps will now not be viable on the net because of this” of the change. There have been additionally reviews the EU was going to examine the choice.
On the time, Apple defined that it must construct an “totally new integration structure that doesn’t presently exist in iOS” to handle the “advanced safety and privateness issues related to internet apps utilizing various browser engines.” This, the corporate mentioned, “was not sensible to undertake given the opposite calls for of the DMA and the very low consumer adoption of House Display screen internet apps.”
With immediately’s announcement, Apple has reversed course and mentioned that House Display screen internet apps will live on as they did pre-iOS 17.4 within the European Union. “This help means House Display screen internet apps proceed to be constructed instantly on WebKit and its safety structure, and align with the safety and privateness mannequin for native apps on iOS,” Apple explains immediately.
Because of this all House Display screen internet apps will nonetheless be powered by WebKit, no matter whether or not the net app is added utilizing Safari or not – precisely as it really works immediately and has for years.
Right here is Apple’s full assertion:
Beforehand, Apple introduced plans to take away the House Display screen internet apps functionality within the EU as a part of our efforts to adjust to the DMA. The necessity to take away the potential was knowledgeable by the advanced safety and privateness issues related to internet apps to help various browser engines that might require constructing a brand new integration structure that doesn’t presently exist in iOS.
We’ve got acquired requests to proceed to supply help for House Display screen internet apps in iOS, subsequently we are going to proceed to supply the present House Display screen internet apps functionality within the EU. This help means House Display screen internet apps proceed to be constructed instantly on WebKit and its safety structure, and align with the safety and privateness mannequin for native apps on iOS.
Builders and customers who could have been impacted by the removing of House Display screen internet apps within the beta launch of iOS within the EU can anticipate the return of the present performance for House Display screen internet apps with the supply of iOS 17.4 in early March.
Apple is including this replace to its Developer web site on Friday, whereas additionally retaining the preliminary clarification there out of full transparency.
9to5Mac’s Take
To me, that is an instance of the vagueness of the Digital Markets Act. Studying between the strains, it seems like Apple thought it couldn’t provide WebKit-powered House Display screen apps within the European Union due to the DMA’s pointers on browser equality.
Apple clearly interpreted the rules as which means it needed to provide PWA help for various browser engines with the intention to preserve providing the characteristic for Safari and WebKit.
Within the two weeks for the reason that preliminary announcement, and the related pushback, Apple got here to the belief – a technique or one other – that it was mistaken. Regardless of the backstory is, I’m glad Apple listened to the suggestions and reversed course on this one.
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