Apple explained why it was disabling Progressive Web Apps (PWA) in the EU, it writes in updated developer notes seen by TechCrunch. The news follows users noticing that web apps were no longer functional in Europe with the recent beta versions of iOS 17.4. Apple said it was blocking the feature in the region due to new browser rules under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Web apps behave much like native apps, allowing dedicated windowing, notifications, long-term local storage and more. European users who tap web app icons will see a message asking if they want to open them in Safari instead or cancel. This means they act more like web shortcuts, creating issues like data loss and interrupted notifications, according to user reviews viewed by MacRumors.
The problem, according to Apple, is a new DMA requirement that allows browsers that don't use its WebKit architecture. “Addressing the complex security and privacy issues associated with web applications using alternative browser engines would require creating an entirely new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS and was impractical to undertake considering “Given the other requirements of the DMA and the very low user adoption of home screen web applications,” the company wrote.
The change, spotted earlier by researcher Tommy Mysk, arrived with the second beta of iOS 17.4, but many observers initially thought it was a bug. “The EU asked for alternative app stores and Apple removed web apps. It looks like the EU is going to rue the day it asked Apple to comply with #DMA rules,” he said declared. posted on.
According to Apple's App Store guidelines, web apps are meant to be an alternative to the App Store model. Since the EU DMA is designed to break the App Store monopoly, the decision to completely disable them is bound to cause friction. The EU, Japan, Australia and the UK have already criticized WebKit's requirement to run PWAs, according to the Advocacy on the Open Web (OWA).
Apple said it regretted any impact from the change, but said it was necessary “as part of its work to comply with the DMA.” The company has previously been accused by developers of malicious DMA compliance. developer fees bypass the App Store, with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek describing it as “extortion”.
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