Apple has reversed course on a plan to stop supporting the installation of Progressive Web Apps in the European Union. In an update to the developer support page he spotted 9to5MacApple says it will “continue to offer existing Home Screen web app capabilities in the EU” in iOS 17.4.
However, Apple notes that Home screen apps will still “be built directly on WebKit,” the engine that Safari uses. This means that web apps downloaded from third-party browsers such as Google Chrome or Firefox may not run on their own engines — despite Apple adding support for third-party browsers in the EU in the same update.
“Developers and users who may have been affected by the removal of Home Screen web apps in the EU beta release of iOS can expect the return of existing Home Screen web app functionality with the availability of iOS 17.4 in early March,” Apple writes.
Apple confirmed its plans to ban iOS web apps in the EU in February, a move that would severely limit their functionality by preventing them from sending push notifications and storing data. At the time, Apple blamed the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for the decision, as it would have required building a “completely new integration architecture” that was “not practical to undertake” given the changes it had to make to comply with the DMA . . But now Apple says it’s reversing the decision after “receiving requests” to continue supporting the feature.