Apple removes Home Screen web apps from iOS in the EU

On its developer support page, Apple notes that the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires them to allow users to choose a browser that doesn't use Apple's WebKit browser engine by default. Therefore, Apple had to remove web applications from the Home Screen.

The iOS 17.4 update will remove Home Screen apps from iOS in the EU.

Screenshot from PhoneArena

Apple states that Home Screen web apps on iOS are built on WebKit and that they "conform to the security and privacy model for native iOS apps." This is important, and Apple says that this integration means that Home Screen web apps are managed to conform to the security and privacy model for native iOS apps, including isolating memory and system prompt execution to access privacy-impacting capabilities on a device on a per-website basis.

However, without this isolation and enforcement, malicious web applications could read data from other web applications and even use granted permissions to access users' cameras and microphones without their consent. Browsers could also install web applications without user approval.

Apple further stated that addressing the complex security and privacy concerns associated with web applications using alternative browser engines would require building an entirely new integrated architecture, which currently doesn't exist in iOS and is impractical to implement due to other DMA requirements and the low rate of Home Screen web application usage. Therefore, to comply with DMA requirements, the company removed the Home Screen web application feature from the EU.

According to Apple, EU users can continue to access websites directly from their Home Screen via bookmarks without significantly affecting their functionality. The company was also forced to remove support for Safari's Home Screen web apps in the EU because DMA requires equality for all browsers. Since third-party browsers cannot have Home Screen web apps, neither can Safari.

The absence of Home Screen web apps in the EU was first noticed by users when iOS 17.4 beta 2 was released. These changes will roll out to all iOS users in EU member states after iOS 17.4 is released in the first week of March.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/apple-xoa-ung-dung-web-tren-home-screen-khoi-ios-tai-eu-185240216173301872.htm