We first spotted signs of Apple blocking web apps in iOS 17.4 within Europe, a move the company later confirmed and explained.
But while Apple claims the move was made to comply with antitrust legislation, it could instead lead to the company facing a new antitrust investigation…
A Brief History of Web Apps on the iPhone
When the iPhone first launched in 2007, what were known as Progressive Web Apps were the only way for a third-party developer to launch an app. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs extolled their virtues at the time:
The full Safari engine resides inside the iPhone. And so, you can write amazing Web 2.0 and Ajax applications that look and behave exactly like iPhone applications. And these applications can be perfectly integrated with iPhone services. They can make a call, they can send an email, they can look up a location on Google Maps.
And guess what? There is no SDK you need! You have everything you need if you know how to write apps using the most modern web standards to write amazing iPhone apps today. So, developers, we think we have a very sweet story for you. You can start building your iPhone apps today.
That quickly changed, of course, after Steve was convinced that the native apps would provide a much better experience.
Still, web apps have been the company’s first line of defense against complaints that the App Store has a monopoly on iPhone apps.
Web browsers are used not only as a distribution portal, but as platforms themselves, hosting “progressive web apps” (PWAs) that eliminate the need to download a developer’s app through the App Store (or otherwise) at all.
Apple blocks web apps in Europe
Apple subsequently blocked the use of web apps in Europe and said it was in compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
One element of this said that Apple was no longer allowed to insist that competing browsers use WebKit (which prevented them from being faster or more capable than Safari). Apple said it interpreted this to mean it had to block web apps as well, because they use WebKit by default.
He is now facing an antitrust investigation because of this
Not everyone was convinced of Apple’s motives, believing that the company instead wanted to do everything possible to punish the European Union for the DMA. The Financial Times reports that the company is now facing an investigation over the move.
The EU has taken its first steps toward a formal investigation into Apple, over its decision to cut off access to some apps that bypass its app store as Brussels steps up scrutiny of the iPhone maker’s operations.
EU competition regulators sent questions to developers last week seeking to determine the impact of Apple’s decision to block so-called “progressive web apps” in the EU, in a move seen as a precursor to an in-depth investigation […]
Apple declined to comment, but pointed to an earlier statement that said: “We expect this change to affect a small number of users. However, we regret any impact this change – which was made as part of DMA compliance work – may have on home screen web application developers and our users.”
It looks like Apple’s entire response to DMA will end up in court.
Photo: Felix Wong/CC4.0
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