Apple Walks Back Decision to Disable Home Screen Web Apps in the EU

[MilaM]

So it seems Apple's lawyers are now in charge of platform security and privacy, and they changed their mind.

I'm glad they did. There is never a good reason to break functionality that a lot of users rely on.

 

[timber]

So happy that in such a timely way Apple managed to find a way out of this difficulty obviously caused by the huge technical obstacles posed by the EU's senseless decisions and not something cooked out of spite.

 

[tomtad]

Anyone in charge at Apple any more?

 

[StuBeck]

Good that they were able to resolve the security concerns that led them down the previous steps.

EDIT: Didn't think this was necessary...this was a joke. Their reasoning before, like always when they get regulated, is about "security".

 

[haemolysis]

People don’t seem to realize that the EU regulation is such that you don’t know you are in violation until the EU tells you that you are. It was actually up to Apple to interpret the DMA the way they did and hope they got it right. Now because of backlash they will do it another way and also hope the EU is fine with it (spoiler they won’t be).

Such nonsense. Apple have been directly engaged in this process for months in which the spirit of the law has been made extremely clear. Apple is deliberately attempting to obfuscate that intent by “technical compliance” without opening up their platform… when the intentions of the law which are clearly: just open up the platform.

They are banking on legal battles, delays, appeals, etc. But at the end of the day, the EU is not going to lie down and say “ohhhh I guess they got us on these technicalities and loopholes!!” They’ll simply just close the loopholes.

 

[hans1972]

Pretty sad news. It was perhaps the only good thing to come out of DMA.

 

[NT1440]

Good that they were able to resolve the security concerns that led them down the previous steps.

They didn’t. Read again. All they did was turn back on WebKit for PWA. None of the security concerns for 3rd party engines is addressed by this.

I know there’s a lot of hay from those making ignorant hot takes on this topic, but this is clearly a move to help devs who were effected WHILE CONTINUING TO WORK IN THE BACKGROUND ON HOW TO ALLOW 3rd PARTY ENGINES IN A WAY THAT DOESNT SACRIFICE SECURITY.

And let’s be real here, Mozilla has a good faith reason why they want to use their own web engine.

Google and Microsoft just want tracking data which they can do with their own engine.

 

[emulajavi]

Come on!

now allow side loading on iPad!

 

[hans1972]

Such nonsense. Apple have been directly engaged in this process for months in which the spirit of the law has been made extremely clear. Apple is deliberately attempting to obfuscate that intent by “technical compliance” without opening up their platform… when the intentions of the law which are clearly: just open up the platform.

Here is the regulations: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R1925

Which part says "open up the platform" ?

What does "open up" mean in detail?

 

[threesixty360]

Yeah, nothing to see here. They are still standing on their original point that they’re not letting 3rd party web engines run PWA’a due to security concerns.

 

[MadDawg2020]

Some good news!

Thank you to the EU for forcing Apple down some roads it should already be taking ... even if they don't want to.

Great!
Good luck with all the new malware and spyware developers can now load directly in to device!

 

[MadDawg2020]

Looking forward to never using this ‘feature’ - I have no interest in letting random developers load their malware and spyware directly on to my device!

 

[wilhoitm]

This is not over! This is not going to end well! Like the EU really knows what they are doing? Web Apps were obsolete like 10 years ago!

 

[ItsASpider]

Ooh would you look at that, so it was all bs after all? Who could have predicted this?

People don’t seem to realize that the EU regulation is such that you don’t know you are in violation until the EU tells you that you are. It was actually up to Apple to interpret the DMA the way they did and hope they got it right. Now because of backlash they will do it another way and also hope the EU is fine with it (spoiler they won’t be).

That is not how any of this works. There are clear guidelines. This stunt was not something the DMA required of them. There was a clear and very obvious reason for why Apple didn't want web apps in the EU; to push more people to their store because they know their implementation of third party web apps is malicious at best to the point where it is so expensive nearly no company would be willing to actually do it (and many have already stated as such).

It is honestly laughable how so many Apple fans always hammer so much on "look how secure this platform is", but apparently Apple believes it is so fragile that even the simplest web app could break right through it, an issue not a single other platform - including Apple's own macOS - appears to have.

 

[azentropy]

But not web apps that use third-party browsers? The plot thickens!

(even if it was a plot twist that was a tad obvious 😝)

Right, that was the issue. Using third-party browsers is what would cause the security risks and require many changes to the API's that Apple didn't want to devote resources to. So Apple must have got permission to be able to still lock that part to WebKit without violating the mandate.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Great!
Good luck with all the new malware and spyware developers can now load directly in to device!

Completely inaccurate
You seem to misunderstand the technical changes that are/aren't coming

 

[subjonas]

I’m confused. So do DMA regulations say it’s ok for WebKit to have this advantage over competitors? Or do they say Apple has to build out the API for third party PWAs too? Or something else?

 

[klasma]

We have received requests to continue to offer support for Home Screen web apps in iOS, therefore we will continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU.

I didn’t know it was this easy. Just send some requests to Apple and they will do it!

 

[SpotOnT]

Next week the EU will complain that this is limited to webkit and a violation of the Digital Markets Act….

Damned if you do something, damned if you don’t.

 

[coolfactor]

It was a bad idea from the very beginning.
I don't live in Europe, but I'm glad for Europeans that Apple reversed course on this stupid decision.

Do you understand the issue?

Scenario:

1) Joe Somebody installs a third-party browser, such as Firefox.
2) Joe Somebody somehow how manages to create a PWA from Firefox (will this even be possible?)
3) Joe Somebody opens up this new PWA, and it renders using WebKit, not Firefox.

Is Apple now forcing Joe Somebody to use WebKit? Yes, because PWA support on iOS is built on top of WebKit. Period.

What needs to happen is Apple to release a PWA framework allowing any browser developer to provide sandboxed PWA support that renders using its preferred engine. That doesn't exist yet, so WebKit will be used.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Some good news!

Thank you to the EU for forcing Apple down some roads it should already be taking ... even if they don't want to.

I don't think you understand. PWA's are a very low volume concern, and they don't justify massive efforts on Apple's part, business wise. They have very slow added support over time, because they are not a priority to Apple or to users. To be compliant with DMA, Apple would have had to massive overhaul their PWA support, which is not justifiable because PWA's bring no business to Apple at all. Apple was barely justifying their tacit support up to this point.

All that has happened now is Apple has decided NOT to comply with the DMA and just leave web apps alone to continue to work as they were. They are NOT going to do a massive overhaul that would be required to support every imaginable browser engine inside PWAs. They are just going to let customers continue to have what they have, and let E.U. bring the fight to them over it, if the E.U. can even wrap its head around it enough to understand it.

 

[tomtad]

This is not over! This is not going to end well! Like the EU really knows what they are doing? Web Apps were obsolete like 10 years ago!

But are they? On desktop web apps are used more than ever

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don't think you understand. PWA's are a very low volume concern, and they don't justify massive efforts on Apple's part, business wise.

"Apple business concerns" are not mine, nor should they be worried about by anyone other than Apple.

The interests of actual human being citizens need to prioritized way above business concerns of corporations.

Let's not spend time defending a TRILLION dollar company
They don't need any defending. They need reining in

 

[jarman92]

Doesn't seem like anyone knows if only allowing WebKit for web apps is OK under the DMA. But Europe has a great system whereby the government promulgates vague rules, companies try to comply based on their best reading of the rules, then the government fines them if they guessed wrong. So we'll find out in a few months if this is OK. Personally, I fully expect the EU to fine Apple for this anyway.

I love how all the Europe stans on these forums go bananas when you say anything negative about the EU, but not one person has come up with a cogent defense of its flatly ridiculous "fine first, ask questions later" regulatory scheme.

 

[jarman92]

People don’t seem to realize that the EU regulation is such that you don’t know you are in violation until the EU tells you that you are. It was actually up to Apple to interpret the DMA the way they did and hope they got it right. Now because of backlash they will do it another way and also hope the EU is fine with it (spoiler they won’t be).

Careful, observations like that will get you in trouble around here.