Final month, Apple confirmed that iOS 17.4 would take away assist for Residence Display screen net apps within the European Union. On the time, Apple stated this choice was resulting from necessities beneath the Digital Markets Act associated to assist for different browser engines on iPhone.
Apple is now strolling again that call and says it’ll “proceed to supply the present Residence Display screen net apps functionality within the EU.”
Residence Display screen net apps are right here to remain
Apple’s choice to take away Residence Display screen net apps, also called progressive net apps or PWAs, confronted loads of criticism. The Open Net Advocacy group, for instance, stated “complete classes of apps will now not be viable on the internet 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 “completely new integration structure that doesn’t at present exist in iOS” to handle the “complicated safety and privateness considerations related to net apps utilizing different browser engines.” This, the corporate stated, “was not sensible to undertake given the opposite calls for of the DMA and the very low person adoption of Residence Display screen net apps.”
With in the present day’s announcement, Apple has reversed course and stated that Residence Display screen net apps will live on as they did pre-iOS 17.4 within the European Union. “This assist means Residence Display screen net apps proceed to be constructed immediately on WebKit and its safety structure, and align with the safety and privateness mannequin for native apps on iOS,” Apple explains in the present day.
Because of this all Residence Display screen net 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 in the present day and has for years.
Right here is Apple’s full assertion:
Beforehand, Apple introduced plans to take away the Residence Display screen net 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 complicated safety and privateness considerations related to net apps to assist different browser engines that will require constructing a brand new integration structure that doesn’t at present exist in iOS.
We have now acquired requests to proceed to supply assist for Residence Display screen net apps in iOS, subsequently we are going to proceed to supply the present Residence Display screen net apps functionality within the EU. This assist means Residence Display screen net apps proceed to be constructed immediately 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 Residence Display screen net apps within the beta launch of iOS within the EU can anticipate the return of the present performance for Residence Display screen net apps with the provision 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 traces, it seems like Apple thought it couldn’t supply WebKit-powered Residence 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 supply PWA assist for different browser engines in an effort to maintain 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 method 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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