Subj : Say goodbye to web apps  iOS 17.4 removes useful feature on iPhon
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Feb 16 2024 12:15:06

Say goodbye to web apps  iOS 17.4 removes useful feature on iPhones in the EU

Date:
Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:05:46 +0000

Description:
As a reaction to new regulation, Apple is planning on removing web apps for 
E.U. users in iOS 17.4.

FULL STORY
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If youve ever saved a website as a web app on your iOS Home Screen, youll 
know how useful that tool is, as it allows you to quickly get to the web page 
you want without having to open a browser and navigate to it. Unfortunately, 
theres some bad news for this feature. 

As recently announced by Apple, iOS 17.4 will remove this feature for users 
in the E.U. If you reside in the European Union and plan to update your 
iPhone , youll no longer be able to save web pages into apps that live on 
your Home Screen. 

Apple says the change has been prompted by the E.U.s Digital Markets Act 
(DMA). According to a post on Apples developer website , the company has 
previously integrated web apps with the WebKit browser engine, which means 
web apps can use standard iOS security practices like blocking access to your 
camera or microphone unless you grant permission. 

Apples post claims that the DMA makes this much more complicated. Thats 
because the DMA aims to allow third-party browsers on iOS to be powered by 
different engines (not necessarily WebKit). Thanks to that, Apple says it 
cannot guarantee that web apps created using other browser engines will keep 
users data safe and secure  and that its therefore pulling web apps entirely 
from the E.U. More malicious compliance? (Image credit: Future | Alex 
Walker-Todd) 

Apples statement outlines some of the problems that could arise from web apps 
made using third-party browser engines, saying that without WebKits security 
practices, malicious web apps could read data from other web apps and 
recapture their permissions to gain access to a users camera, microphone or 
location without a users consent. The company added that browsers also could 
install web apps on the system without a users awareness and consent. 

Apple also claimed that fixing this problem would require a disproportionate 
amount of effort compared to web apps usage on iOS: Addressing the complex 
security and privacy concerns associated with web apps using alternative 
browser engines would require building an entirely new integration 
architecture that does not currently exist in iOS and was not practical to 
undertake given the other demands of the DMA and the very low user adoption 
of Home Screen web apps. 

While there is some merit to Apples stance, the harsh all-or-nothing approach 
will likely provide more fodder to the companys critics, who have accused it 
of malicious compliance in the face of E.U. regulation. Similar charges were 
levied against Apple when it was forced to allow third-party app stores on 
iOS , and in doing so presented new fees and rules that were felt by many to 
be far worse than the existing rules people had fought against for so long. 

While there probably arent huge numbers of people who use web apps in iOS, 
the outright removal of the feature for E.U. users will likely still sting  
and is unlikely to win Apple much goodwill at a time when it sorely needs it. 
You might also like Six new features coming to your iPhone with iOS 17.4  
here's what you need to know Apple finally letting people run third-party 
browsers unfettered  but only in the EU and not because it wants to Apple's 
big iOS and App Store changes explained  7 things you need to know



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/phones/say-goodbye-to-web-apps-ios-174-removes-usefu
l-feature-on-iphones-in-the-eu


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