Apple confirms it's breaking iPhone web apps in the EU on purpose

Apple is officially axing support for progressive web apps for iPhone users located in the European Union. While web apps have been broken for EU users in every iOS 17.4 beta so far, Apple has now confirmed that this is a feature, not a bug.

Apple said the change is necessitated by a requirement to let developers "use alternative browser engines - other than WebKit - for dedicated browser apps and apps providing in-app browsing experiences in the EU." Apple explained its stance in a developer Q&A under the heading, "Why don't users in the EU have access to Home Screen web apps?"

Last week, iPhone users in the European Union noticed that they were no longer able to install and run web apps on their iPhone's Home Screen in iOS 17.4. Apple has added a number of features over the years to improve support for progressive web apps on iPhone. For example, iOS 16.4 allowed PWAs to deliver push notifications with icon badges.

The Digital Markets Act targets "gatekeepers" of certain technologies such as operating systems, browsers, and search engines. It requires gatekeepers to let third parties interoperate with the gatekeepers' own services, and prohibits them from favoring their own services at the expense of competitors. As 9to5Mac notes, allowing home screen web apps with Safari but not third-party browser engines might cause Apple to violate the rules.

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