Apple changes course: Progressive Web Apps remain in the EU edition of iOS
With iOS 17.4, users within the European Union should no longer be able to install web applications on the device’s home screen. This would mean that web application developers would have lost access to critical functions, including the ability to display web apps in full, send push notifications to users or display badges on the home screen icon. Thomas Steiner’s article provides a detailed overview: So, what exactly did Apple break in the EU?
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Christian Liebel (@christianliebel) is a software developer at Thinktecture in Karlsruhe. He supports his customers with digitalization projects and the modernization of business applications. His hobbyhorse is cross-platform applications based on modern web technologies such as Angular, Progressive Web Apps, Project Fugu and Web Components. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP and Google GDE for his community contributions.
Apple reverses its decision
Now Apple has given in and announced that homescreen web apps will remain in the EU. Developers can expect the ability to add web apps to the home screen to return with the final release of iOS 17.4. In the beta versions of iOS 17.4, the feature was removed for EU users.
The original decision was based on the changes made under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to open its iOS operating system to alternative app stores and browser engines. Nothing changes with iPadOS initially.
Installed web apps continue to run under WebKit
Apple argued that iOS’s security model currently does not allow web applications to be installed by third-party browser engines and therefore wanted to disable the function in principle.
As a compromise, installable web applications in iOS will now be retained, but will then rely on WebKit as the browser engine as usual. This means that the existing iOS security model can continue to be used and users can continue to install web apps.
Almost 5,000 people and organizations signed the Open Web Advocacy open letter in just a few days.
Open letter finds almost 5,000 supporters
The change in decision was preceded by the publication of an open letter from Open Web Advocacy (OWA) to Apple CEO Tim Cook, which called on Apple to keep web applications installed in iOS. Within a few days, almost 5,000 web developers and organizations signed the open letter, including many community members, employees of industry giants such as Google, Microsoft, Adobe and the W3C, as well as members of the European Parliament.
(rme)
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