Apple has disabled web apps in Europe, a move that could open the door to a formal investigation by the European Commission. The tech giant has announced that it will disable web app distribution starting next month to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Cupertino claims that the decision due to concerns about the privacy and security of its usersWith.
In an update to its development website, Apple added the steps it will take to comply with the DMA once it goes into effect. iOS changes highlight a section that mentions Lack of web apps on iOS for users in Europe. The technology company says it has done a “tremendous amount of engineering work” to add new features and functionality for iPhone developers and users.
“iOS has traditionally provided support for home screen web apps, building it directly on top of WebKit and its security architecture,” Apple says. “Web apps on the home screen are managed according to the native app security and privacy model on iOS, including storage isolation and app system requests to access privacy-sensitive features on a site-by-site basis.”
Apple notes that without such isolation Attackers can read data from other web applications and gain access to the camera, microphone and other functions of the iPhone without the user’s knowledge. Opening other web browsers implies that these They could install malicious web applications without people’s consent.. In short, opening up to comply with the Digital Markets Act would impair user privacy and security.
European Commission may investigate Apple for disabling web apps
According to Apple, the only alternative to enabling web applications on iOS it would be implement a new architecture which supports other browser engines. However, this task is complex and incompatible with other European regulatory requirements. Also, the adoption of web applications is very low, so It would not be profitable to invest resources in developing an alternative..
web applications They will stop working starting in March when the Digital Markets Act comes into force. Apple has made it clear that it’s not its fault. and that he made these changes only to comply with regulatory requirements.
“We expect this change to affect a small number of users. However, we regret any impact this DMA compliance change may have on home screen web app developers and our users.” “, Apple said.
Interestingly, the decision to disable web applications aroused suspicion from the European Union. In accordance with Financial Times, competition regulators have contacted the developers to find out what impact the measure might have. Thus, the highest authority took the first steps towards an official investigation.
“We are looking closely at the Progressive Web Apps issue and can confirm that we have sent information requests to Apple and app developers who may be able to provide useful information for our assessment.”
European Commission
End web applications This would mean that developers would be left with no alternative to avoid App Store fees. Launching DMA incurs a fee of €0.50 for each first installation in EU applications.
Source: Hiper Textual
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
