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Apple Further Explains iOS 17.4's New Default Browser Prompt in EU

winxmac said:
Anyone remembers when Microsoft created a website named BrowserChoice.eu?
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Don’t remember their website, but do remember their splash window to choose your browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer) after installing Windows. 😉
 
So you will still have to download the non webkit browser and this just lets it sit in the list of default browsers?
 
AnaphaseAway said:
how petty... they know safari would be further down than chrome if it was alphabetical so they make it random...
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If they made it alphabetical they will be constantly featuring other competitors more prominently than Chrome which would be far worse. Random means everyone gets an equal chance. There is nothing Apple can do to make some people happy so thankfully they are doing in general what’s best for their users privacy and security and even tho competitors who make money on abusing peoples privacy want to frame it differently.
 
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erikkfi said:
In ten years they’re going to run articles for the anniversary of these changes and have to remind readers that there were once a lot of people who opposed them.
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Yes, we will be reading the EURumors site on our favorite browsers installed on our generic devices that conform to strict EU standards. Comments on EURumors will be moderated by a panel of representatives from all participating nations, and will be open for anyone to join from any other platform.
 
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bradman83 said:
The intent of this rule is to prompt consumers to make a choice up-front so they're aware they have options. The existing default browser options allowing users to switch after setup remain in place.
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So does Windows come with a choice upon initializing the OS to use another browser other than Edge in the EU? Because it certainly does not in US. I always have to open Edge to download Chrome (yuck) for my customers when setting up a new PC. FWIW - it is the customers choice, not mine to install Chrome. On my work PC that I log into from my far more preferred MacBook - I use Brave. I do have to use chrome once in a while for web development or logging into GoDaddy, not sure why it doesnt load right in Brave.

Anyways, back to my point - it's been an option to change your default browser on iOS for as long as I can think of, so what's the problem? On iOS you dont even have to open Safari to download a new browser... Also - does Android ship with multiple browsers? Sounds like unfair targeting in the EU. (I know, this has been discussed for a while, Im just now finally weighing in with my opinion).
 
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Are these really the correct lists? To my knowledge, Ecosia and Qwant are not browsers, they a search engines.
 
AnaphaseAway said:
how petty... they know safari would be further down than chrome if it was alphabetical so they make it random...
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Apple desperately wants a Time Machine - no not the back up app - so it can go back and influence Steve Jobs to call its new browser 'Adventure'.
 
Will Co said:
I'm all for choice, but preferably good ones. It seems to me that anything that is going to undo or weaken our already imperilled data privacy and security is a bad thing. A bad choice. Like putting a shonky browser on your iPhone and then trusting it to access your bank account. Or installing apps from goodness knows what app-like-stores which hoover up all manner of data that they shouldn't because they have not been screened well enough or at all. And people will do these things. Because they can. Apple isn't perfect. AppStore isn't perfect. Safari is far from perfect. But I trust them more than I trust any of this other nonsense. I'm in the UK, so this likely won't even be a choice for me. But if it did become a choice, I know exactly what I would do. And incredibly this from the entity that brought us GDPR - a good thing.
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Apple should've allowed other browsers in the App Store earlier.

If it had done, it's likely that they would not be in this position.

Apple played hardball with regulators, with no compromises at all and I predict that it's going to backfire on them, badly, as their proposal from yesterday isn't the end of it it ('Core Platform fees' - right).
 
MonkeySpank158 said:
So does Windows come with a choice upon initializing the OS to use another browser other than Edge in the EU? Because it certainly does not in US. I always have to open Edge to download Chrome (yuck) for my customers when setting up a new PC. FWIW - it is the customers choice, not mine to install Chrome. On my work PC that I log into from my far more preferred MacBook - I use Brave. I do have to use chrome once in a while for web development or logging into GoDaddy, not sure why it doesnt load right in Brave.

Anyways, back to my point - it's been an option to change your default browser on iOS for as long as I can think of, so what's the problem? On iOS you dont even have to open Safari to download a new browser... Also - does Android ship with multiple browsers? Sounds like unfair targeting in the EU. (I know, this has been discussed for a while, Im just now finally weighing in with my opinion).
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I can't speak for Windows insofar as the browser choice prompt, but the EU DMA law requires Google update Android with the exact same prompt as iOS. When setting up a new Android device there will be a list of browsers available to choose from. So it's not unfair targeting - both Apple and Google, who control the two dominant smartphone operating systems, are being required to make the exact same changes.

(Windows used to be mandated to show a list of browsers other than Internet Explorer at initial system setup but that mandate expired in 2014).

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Microsoft has its own laundry list of changes it has to enact to Windows, namely the ability to uninstall Edge, Cortana, and other system components, and opening up APIs for widgets and the search bar to third party providers. Windows will now properly respect default browser choices (Windows 11 currently opens some links in Edge even if your default browser is set to something different), and overall aggressive advertising and prompts to switch to Edge are being removed. There are also more obvious screens prompting users when an app is requesting to change default file/link handling behaviors.
 
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This has all got to be the biggest beta test in history.

“What if…we forked both the hardware and software for an entire region? Start slow with the SIM slot on the hardware side. On the software side, let’s see if we can bifurcate our main product fundamentally and find out what happens.”

It’s going to be an interesting next few months so see how this starts shaking out in practice. Considering Apple seems to be setting it up to fail like they hope it will, the strange and misaligned incentives here by all parties are going to wind up with a lot of unintended consequences, I think.
 
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CarAnalogy said:
In this one case, they are missing out on this giant experiment Apple is running. Depending on perspective that could be good or bad. I would like to try this stuff out but I think I’m ok being left out, for now.
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No, having more choice is inherently good. Want to keep using Safari? You can do that and nothing will change except selecting Safari as your default browser one time. Want to use another browser? Then they won't be limited by WebKit and the user experience will be improved.
 
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