Apple has reversed its decision to block web apps, also known as progressive web apps (PWAs), on iPhones in the European Union. The company has updated its developer page to say that after receiving numerous requests for support for PWAs, it will be bringing back the feature in the upcoming iOS 17.4.
PWAs behave like native apps and give you access to a variety of features on your device without taking up much space on your phone. These apps can also send you notifications and keep you logged in to the service.
As first pointed out by security researcher Tommy Mysk and Open Web Advocacy, Apple reduced the functionality of PWAs to just website shortcuts last month with the release of the second beta of iOS 17.4. The company has since updated its developer page to say it is ending support for the homescreen app, citing security risks such as malicious web apps reading data from other web apps or accessing the camera. announced that it had been decided.
The iPhone maker pointed to compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as part of the reason for this decision. This law forced Apple to open up its browser ecosystem and not limit developers to only her WebKit, but allow them to choose another engine.
Apple also said that PWAs have “very low user adoption” and may not have a significant impact on users. But the move didn't sit well with regulators, who began investigating the matter by sending questions to the developer, as reported by the Financial Times. Separately, the Open Web Advocacy group published an open letter to Tim Cook calling for the ban on web apps to be lifted, and a number of others, including Mastodon, internet advocate Cory Doctorow and Vascel CTO Marte Huble, published an open letter to Tim Cook calling for the ban on web apps to be lifted. Hundreds of organizations and individuals signed the petition.
As 9to5Mac pointed out, Apple's reversal only applies to WebKit-based web apps. If the browser chooses to use a different engine, this feature will not be available to the user.
Full text of Apple's update:
Previously, Apple announced plans to remove home screen web app functionality in the EU as part of its efforts to become DMA compliant. The need to remove this feature is due to complex security and privacy concerns, as supporting alternative browser engines for web apps would require building a new integration architecture that doesn't currently exist in iOS.
We have received requests for continued support for Home Screen Web Apps on iOS, so we will continue to provide existing Home Screen Web App functionality in the EU. This support means that home screen web apps continue to be built directly on WebKit and its security architecture, and fit into the security and privacy model of native apps on iOS.
Developers and users who may have been affected by the removal of the Home Screen Web App in the beta release of iOS in the EU will be able to remove the existing functionality of the Home Screen Web App with the arrival of iOS 17.4 in early March. can be expected to make a comeback.