In connection with the upcoming DMA (Digital Markets Act) rules, iPhones in Europe will lose a feature that has been with iPhones since time immemorial. Specifically, we mean home screen apps aka PWAs (Progressive Web Apps). Until now, these could be added via the middle menu in the bottom bar when viewing a website in Safari, if the website supported it. However, this will no longer be possible for European iPhones after the March update to iOS 17.4.
After updating to iOS 17.4, iPhone users will lose apps on the home screen. You will only place a link to the web page on the desktop, or widget without notifications and without permanent access to memory. And that means these apps will become useless anyway
The main reason is to open up iOS to alternative web browsers that won’t have to use the “mandatory” WebKit. It is this one that is used by the mentioned applications on the home screen in order to maintain security and privacy, so that the level of security is the same as that of native iOS applications. Without this isolation, according to Apple, fake web applications could read data from other similar applications or access the camera, microphone and location of users without their consent. Apple would have to program a new architecture to ensure integrity, which is not worth it due to additional DMA rules.
Do not confuse abbreviations:
- DMA (Digital Markets Act) – aka the “Digital Markets Regulation” which ensures that large online platforms in the EU behave fairly and allows new entrants to enter the market. It defines the so-called gatekeepers, alias Guardians of access, who, if they fall under the conditions of regulation, must open up to competing services. The rules will be effective from March 6, 2024
- DSA (Digital Services Act) – aka “Digital Services Regulation”, which regulates digital services within the EU, ensures the proper functioning of the online market, protects users’ rights and ensures a safe online environment. The regulation covers the entire spectrum from services for network infrastructure, through web hosting to online platforms (social networks or internet marketplaces). The rules will be effective from February 17, 2024
So if you have and use web apps on your iPhone home screen, get ready for big changes. Web applications will open in the default browser (Safari or any other), and no longer in a separate window. These applications will lose support for long-term data storage and notifications will not work for them. It will still be possible to save a shortcut to the desktop, which will directly open the set web page, but support for meaningful web applications ends for Europeans.
Source: Apple
2024-02-16 08:59:22
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