Japan Law Will Require Apple to Allow Non-WebKit Browsers on iPhone

[MacRumors]

Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act will require Apple to allow non-WebKit web browsers in the App Store on the iPhone later this year.

Specifically, the law "forbids designated providers from preventing individual app providers from using alternative browser engines."

In most countries, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other popular web browsers on iOS are all currently forced to use WebKit, which is the web engine that powers Safari. Apple has previously stated that the WebKit requirement is due to security and privacy considerations, but critics have argued that the policy is anticompetitive.

Japan's law will allow web browsers and in-app browsers on the iPhone to use alternative browser engines like Blink (used by Chrome, Edge, and Opera) and Gecko (used by Firefox). The regulation takes full effect in December.

Apple has already allowed non-WebKit browsers on the iPhone and iPad in the EU since iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 18, to comply with the Digital Markets Act. However, Apple has a long list of requirements for alternative browsers on the iPhone and iPad, and there are still no major non-WebKit browsers available in the App Store on those platforms.

As noted by the not-for-profit Open Web Advocacy group on Wednesday, Japan's law goes a step further to ensure that there is a viable path for non-WebKit browsers, by preventing Apple from imposing "unreasonable technical restrictions" on web browsers that wish to implement alternative browser engines on the iPhone.

Japan's law will also require Apple to show a default browser selection screen in Safari on the iPhone, and the requirements for that are similarly strict.

Alongside the EU and Japan, it is expected that the UK will also require Apple to allow non-WebKit browsers on the iPhone in the foreseeable future.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Japan Law Will Require Apple to Allow Non-WebKit Browsers on iPhone

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

it's already the case for EU users, and after over a year, how many chromium (or alternative engine) browsers are there ? ZERO

as long as apple does this nasty malicious compliance, it won't happen it would seem. there needs to be better enforcement for these things

I just want blink man

 

[BuffaloTF]

it's already the case for EU users, and after over a year, how many chromium (or alternative engine) browsers are there ? ZERO

as long as apple does this nasty malicious compliance, it won't happen it would seem. there needs to be better enforcement for these things

How is it malicious compliance? Is Apple supposed to publish the engine for iOS for them instead of just allowing it to exist?

 

[thiscatisfat]

A government body is telling Apple how to run their business. Absolutely ridiculous.

Apple shouldn't be forced into anything on their platform by anyone except for Apple. It's their software, their business what they do with it. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

Edit: some random anon said the issue at hand is the same as with a company releasing toxins into the river and poisoning everyone and how a government should do nothing about it, so I have to edit the comment to make it more obvious

 

[WarmWinterHat]

A government body is telling you how to run your business. Absolutely ridiculous.

Apple shouldn't be forced into anything on their platform by anyone except for Apple. It's their software, their business what they do with it.

Why are businesses so special they are should be exempt from laws? What you are suggesting is saying they should have more rights than citizens.

No, corporations exist at the pleasure of the government and the populace. If they want to operate in said country, they follow said countries laws.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

How is it malicious compliance? Is Apple supposed to publish the engine for iOS for them instead of just allowing it to exist?

your response makes me think you didn't read the guidelines (or regulation idk), check it out.

 

[germanbeer007]

most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.

 

[robvalentine]

How is it malicious compliance? Is Apple supposed to publish the engine for iOS for them instead of just allowing it to exist?

It's not punishing the engine, it's making it as hard as possible for developers to use their own engine. It's textbook malicious compliance, and it allows them to keep the WebKit monopoly on iOS whilst claiming that they are complying.

 

[nikusak]

It's not punishing the engine, it's making it as hard as possible for developers to use their own engine. It's textbook malicious compliance, and it allows them to keep the WebKit monopoly on iOS whilst claiming that they are complying.

Have you studied Apple’s BrowserEngineKit implementation in detail so that you can say that?

What specifically in it is badly / maliciously implemented which prevents anyone from implementing their own engine?

Also, are you aware that Google’s engine is, in practice, the only other engine in existence? This decision will cement Google’s dominance of web technology and future direction.

New engines will not magically appear, even when Apple eventually allows alternative engines globally on iOS. Implementing a modern engine is so huge undertaking that nobody will probably ever do it again.

Even Microsoft gave up and adopted Google’s engine.

 

[thiscatisfat]

Why are businesses so special they are should be exempt from laws? What you are suggesting is saying they should have more rights than citizens.

No, corporations exist at the pleasure of the government and the populace. If they want to operate in said country, they follow said countries laws.

Yeah but putting laws in place to directly target a company to force them put stuff on their platform they never wanted to do? Do you get me or not?

 

[MNWildFan]

A government body is telling you how to run your business. Absolutely ridiculous.

Apple shouldn't be forced into anything on their platform by anyone except for Apple. It's their software, their business what they do with it.

Yup, and Google/YouTube is about to be subjected to this too by forcing them to mandate that those who wrongly claimed that they're 18 or older (or not) have to show their ID to watch age-restricted content and it's disgusting

I mean, I get that some things have to be regulated and all, but this is too far if you ask me

 

[Spock]

most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.

If people didn’t want it, they would not be bothered to try and regulate it.

 

[thiscatisfat]

If people didn’t want it, they would not be bothered to try and regulate it.

Yeah well some people want it and some don't. If you develop something and I want you to use pink fonts instead of black, should I moan and lobby governments to force you into changing your software? No? People want a smaller iPhone, should governments now enforce a law that will force Apple into bringing Mini back? Make it make sense. People want all sorts of things.

 

[thiscatisfat]

If people didn’t want it, they would not be bothered to try and regulate it.

UK is forcing Apple into things solely for the purpose of literally spying on citizens. All under the disguise of "anti-competitive behaviour". To be fair, if Apple didn't want you to have bloody Spotify on your iPhone, they should be absolutely entitled to make sure you don't have the bloody Spotify on your iPhone. Should governments force Sony into making sure their Playstation supports Nintendo games? Because people want it?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Thank GOD YES!

I want this, SO BADLY, in the US...

My only hope is that enough pressure around the world makes it easier for them to relent on it everywhere perhaps.

 

[ForkHandles]

Yeah but putting laws in place to directly target a company to force it into something they never wanted to do? Do you get me or not?

Research monopolies.

You’ll find that all governments have laws restricting monopolies against acting in an uncompetitive manner.

Even Putin has laws , that’s why oligarchs keep falling out of windows.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Research monopolies.

You’ll find that all governments have laws restricting monopolies against acting in an uncompetitive manner.

Even Putin has laws , that’s why oligarchs keep falling out of windows.

First floor windows, no less!

Very dangerous over there.

 

[ItsASpider]

Have you studied Apple’s BrowserEngineKit implementation in detail so that you can say that?

What specifically in it is badly / maliciously implemented which prevents anyone from implementing their own engine?

No, but Mozilla has. As has Google.

Also, are you aware that Google’s engine is, in practice, the only other engine in existence? This decision will cement Google’s dominance of web technology and future direction.

New engines will not magically appear, even when Apple eventually allows alternative engines globally on iOS. Implementing a modern engine is so huge undertaking that nobody will probably ever do it again.

Even Microsoft gave up and adopted Google’s engine.

So your argument is "there is almost no other engine" and thus we should just continue to tolerate the behavior that got us to this point in the first place? Apple enforcing WebKit is in part to blame why other engine found themselves in a spot were it was increasingly hard to compete because more and more websites were optimized for it instead of the standards itself to the point where Presto and Trident eventually had to be killed off. This is exactly the kind of nonsense why we only have WebKit, Blink and Gecko left today...

most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.

Hi, developer here. WebKit is a terrible engine with a ridiculous amount of long standing bugs and inconsistent behavior. The only thing its good at is showing what happens when you don't need to compete with anyone else...

Yeah but putting laws in place to directly target a company to force it into something they never wanted to do? Do you get me or not?

That's how every law is put in place. People did something that shouldn't be socially acceptable, and laws were put in place to make that behavior illegal.

 

[thiscatisfat]

That's how every law is put in place. People did something that shouldn't be socially acceptable, and laws were put in place to make that behavior illegal.

Oh yes because the government always has your best interest at heart. That will explain why EU forced Apple into using USB-C on their iPhones. Guys seriously...

 

[ifxf]

most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.

I want the flexibility and the additional protection offered by multiple browser engines.

 

[UnbreakableAlex]

Apple should be more open, like they pretend to be in their infomercials. Big thanks to EU and Japan for enforcing real freedom ❤️

 

[thiscatisfat]

I want the flexibility and the additional protection offered by multiple browser engines.

Then buy something else? Like...didn't you know what you're buying into when you bought an iPhone?

 

[danakin]

Countdown to the first Mensa member advocating Apple pull out of the Japanese market.

 

[Dr McKay]

Thank GOD YES!

I want this, SO BADLY, in the US...

My only hope is that enough pressure around the world makes it easier for them to relent on it everywhere perhaps.

Until it's global, I doubt anything will happen. Mozilla have already said they don't want to maintain 2 separate iOS browsers after a similar thing passed in the EU.

 

[racerhomie]

Enjoy Chrome on macOS battery life future Japanese and European Chrome iOS users