Should Apple continue to ban rival browser engines on iOS?

Apple requires all apps that browse the web in iOS and iPadOS to use its own browser engine, WebKit, but should it continue to effectively ban rival browser engines amid accusations of anti-competitive behavior?

Big tech companies have been accused of anti-competitive behavior recently, with UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) chief executive Andrea Coscelli in the news The announcement reads:

Apple and Google have created a bad habit in the way we use our phones, which we fear is causing millions of people in the UK to become disoriented.

Among these accusations of anti-competitive behavior, Apple has been criticized for requiring web-browsing apps to use the WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript on iOS and iPadOS, a policy that effectively bans non-WebKit-based apps. browser. Apple's App Store review tutorial states:

2.5.6 Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript.

There has been fierce debate surrounding this requirement, with some developers and regulators arguing that it will actively stifle innovation in iOS and iPadOS, while Apple believes it is necessary to protect user security and privacy, and Prevent Chromium dominance.

Why Apple canrightban rival browsers

Google’s Chromium is the technology behind many popular browsers, including Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera. Some believe Chromium's dominance is leading to a "browser monoculture" that stifles the development of rival web technologies. A tweet from Apple evangelist and Safari developer advocate Jen Simmons seems to hint at the importance of maintaining WebKit limits, and here's why: Safari has 9.84% of desktop browsers, according to web analytics service StatCounter Market share, while Google Chrome has an overwhelming 65.38%. Safari is currently more secure on mobile platforms than on desktops, but it's still second only to Google Chrome. Although Safari is the default browser on iPhone and iPad, Safari has a market share of 26.71% on mobile devices, while Chrome dominates iOS and Android with a 62.06% market share. Apart from Chrome, Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge dominate the other most popular browsers.

If Apple stops forcing the use of WebKit on iOS and iPadOS, the developers behind mobile browsers like Chrome and Edge may switch to Chromium just like desktop browsers, giving Chromium a larger overall market share and may limit competitors' opportunities to compete with technology.

The CMA said in its Mobile Ecosystem Market Research Interim Report that Apple used the following rationale to defend its WebKit policy on iOS:

Apple tells us that on iOS only WebKit is primarily driven by security and privacy concerns. In particular, many modern websites run code from unknown developers. Apple tells us that due to the limitations of WebKit, it can quickly and effectively address security issues for all browsers on iPhone for all iPhone users (assuming there is only one browser engine). It further tells us that, in Apple's opinion, WebKit offers a better level of security protection than Blink and Gecko.

Apple argued that because it controls WebKit and it is the only browser engine on these devices, the restriction allows the company to implement blanket security for all browsers on iPhones and iPads and privacy improvements to provide a better user experience and prevent fragmentation. It also claims that WebKit is more secure than competing browser engines.

Why Apple might be

wrong to ban rival browsers

Others argue that WebKit restrictions actively harm browser competition on iOS. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who had a bitter dispute with Apple over App Store fees, now says WebKit restrictions are anti-competitive and intolerant:

Apple surrounds WebKit The policy attracted the attention of regulators such as the CMA, which harshly criticized the restriction:

We found that by requiring all browsers on iOS devices to use its WebKit browser engine, Apple Controls and sets quality and functionality boundaries for all browsers on iOS. It also limits the potential of rival browsers to differentiate themselves from Safari. For example, the browser can't speed up page loading or display videos in formats that WebKit doesn't support. Additionally, Apple does not provide competing browsers with access to the same features and APIs available in Safari. Overall, this means Safari doesn't face effective competition from other browsers on iOS devices.

Evidence also suggests that browsers on iOS offer less feature support than browsers based on other browser engines, especially when it comes to web apps. As a result, web apps are less viable for delivering content on iOS devices than native apps from the App Store.

The CMA stressed that application developers cannot differentiate their browsers from Safari, while web developers are constrained by the features supported by WebKit.

Importantly, due to WebKit limitations, Apple decides whether to support not just its own browser, but all browsers on iOS. Not only does this limit competition (as it essentially limits the potential of rival browsers to differentiate themselves from Safari on factors like speed and functionality), but it also limits the functionality of all browsers on iOS devices, depriving iOS users of possible Benefit from useful innovations.

The debate also has to do with Apple's longstanding silence on allowing app sideloading on iOS and iPadOS. Aside from top games, the only real obstacle to developers publishing web apps that are indistinguishable from native apps on iOS and iPadOS is Apple's WebKit restrictions and controls on Safari. If developers can use different browsers to open web applications, efficient sideloading from the web becomes possible.

It’s also worth noting that the CMA doesn’t accept Apple’s argument that restricting web browsing to WebKit on iOS and iPadOS would be better for performance and addressing security vulnerabilities:

Overall To date, the evidence we have received to date does not suggest that Apple's WebKit restrictions allow for faster, more effective responses to security threats in private browser apps on iOS...

[.. .]

...The evidence we have seen so far does not suggest a significant difference in the security performance of WebKit and alternative browser engines.

Amid the ongoing debate, some developers have rallied behind the Twitter hashtag #AppleBrowserBan to express their dissatisfaction with Apple's WebKit limitations.

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