Why Apple’s move on web apps ends up under EU scrutiny

27 February 20243 months ago babelfish

The European Commission is gathering information from Apple about its decision to discontinue web apps with the iOS 17.4 update for iPhone. According to the Financial Times, the Cupertino giant's decision is being examined in the EU

EU regulators are targeting Apple over its decision to drop web apps from the iPhone's home screen.

According to a report from the Financial Times , Apple may soon face an investigation over its decision to discontinue iPhone web apps in the European Union. The European Commission has reportedly sent Apple and app developers requests for further information to assist in its assessment.

In February, the Cupertino giant announced that it will officially discontinue support for progressive web apps, also called home page web apps, in the EU in iOS 17.4, starting from March.

“These web-based apps could previously be installed and launched from an iPhone's home screen, send push notifications, and store memory separately from a web browser,” Quartz explains, adding that these apps were a way for developers to bypass the Apple App Store. Apple and associated fees. With the new change, these apps will work more like bookmarks. So much so that developers rebelled against the interruption decided by the iPhone manufacturer. But Apple defends itself by calling into question compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) for its decision: it says it cannot protect home screen web apps with third-party browser engines.

The company led by Tim Cook is required to comply with the DMA by March 6. In case of violation of European law, companies risk fines of up to 10% of their annual turnover, rising up to 20% in the event of a repeat offense.

All the details.

THE POSITION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels seeks to investigate Apple's move to disable access to web apps in the EU from March. European competition regulators have sent questions to developers about the tech giant's decision, the FT reports, specifying that "the EU has taken the first steps towards a formal investigation into Apple, regarding the decision to interrupt access to some applications bypassing its app store as Brussels steps up scrutiny of the iPhone maker's activity."

“We are indeed examining the compliance packages of all gatekeepers, including Apple,” the European Commission says in a statement provided by spokeswoman Lea Zuber to the media. “In this context we are examining the issue of progressive web apps in particular and can confirm that we have sent requests for information to Apple and app developers, who can provide useful information for our assessment.”

THE POSITION OF THE CUPERTINO GIANT

For its part, Apple attributes the main reason for the change to the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), as it requires Apple to allow full support for third-party browser engines, not just Safari's WebKit.

The new law aims to regulate large platforms defined as “gatekeepers” in online markets – such as the App Store – in order to make these markets more competitive for smaller operators. In Apple's case, the DMA will require the tech giant to enable full support for third-party browser engines, which the company disputes as unrealistic, Quartz continues.

Introducing web app support for other browsers would require the company to build “an entirely new integration architecture” which it said was “not practical to undertake given the other demands of the DMA.” The company also cites “very low user adoption” and potential security risks as reasons for the change.

In a Q&A with developers, Apple said that opening up progressive web app features to third parties without putting users at risk of security breaches was "not practical to undertake given the other DMA requirements." .

THE CONSEQUENCES FOR DEVELOPERS

Finally, the move also cuts off developers trying to avoid the 30% fees Apple charges for purchases made through its App Store.

Open Web Advocacy, a nonprofit that advocates for the open web, is conducting a survey to see how the change will impact developers, notes The Verge .

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/perche-la-mossa-di-apple-sulle-web-app-finisce-sotto-la-lente-ue/ on Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:01:54 +0000.