Good news, iOS users in the EU!
Apple has announced that it is reversal his earlier published decision to no longer support home screen web apps, also known as progressive web apps (PWAs), on iPhone. From Friday 1 March 2024, EU users will still be able to install and use web apps for the iOS home screen.
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The Home Screen Web App feature allows users to install specific websites as standalone apps on their iOS devices. This allows users to quickly access web pages as well as other app functions that may not have an iOS app.
Certain developers and users in the EU who installed the latest beta version of iOS were surprised to find that it removed the Home screen web app capabilities. But they can expect an update that brings the feature back to their devices soon. Apple says that iOS 17.4, which will be released in early March, will restore the functionality to those users.
Why did Apple initially remove web apps from the home screen in the EU?
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a new EU regulation that requires companies like Apple to open up their core platforms to encourage competition in markets where big tech has enormous power and influence.
For example, according to the DMA, Apple was forced to allow alternative marketplaces to compete with the App Store when it came to distributing apps on the iPhone.
Apple is currently preparing for the official entry into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU this month. In addition to the necessary change in the App Store, Apple also made other adjustments at the behest of the DMA. However, Apple’s interpretation of these new regulations has resulted in the company making controversial decisions that have drawn criticism from other major tech companies.
Meta, Microsoft, Spotify and others have blown up Apple for its DMA-inspired application distribution scheme. For example, developers objected when they learned that they could actually pay Apple more to put their app on an alternative marketplace than they would have if they had just continued to operate within the official App Store.
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Microsoft and Meta have both lobbied to the EU to take action against Apple’s new policies, arguing that Apple’s “malicious compliance” does not support the true intent of the DMA regulations.
When it comes to web apps on the home screen, Apple has previously claimed that the DMA will force Apple to also change the rules for web apps on the home screen. The company said that due to the vulnerability and potential for malicious use, it will remove the feature.
“Previously, Apple announced plans to remove home screen web app capabilities in the EU as part of our efforts to comply with the DMA,” Apple said in its new statement regarding the reversal of its decision to end PWAs on iOS. “The need to remove this capability arose because of the complex security and privacy issues associated with web applications to support alternative browser engines that would require building a new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS.”
“We have received requests to continue offering support for Home Screen web apps in iOS, so we will continue to offer the existing Home Screen web app capabilities in the EU,” Apple said in a statement. “This support means that home screen web apps continue to be built directly on WebKit and its security architecture, and align with the security and privacy model for native iOS apps.”
Apple’s recent response is remarkable as the company has previously stated that its decision to just remove web apps from the home screen was a result of “very poor user acceptance”. Apparently the blowback was significant enough for the company to reconsider.
So Apple has officially reversed course on an unpopular decision it once claimed was necessary due to new EU regulations. Time will tell if Apple will decide – or will forced — also change their unpopular alternative market policies.