Ahead of the launch of iPhone in 2007, Apple had an idea for how developers could develop for the revolutionary device: Web apps. And boy did developers hate that. What they wanted was to be able to install apps natively, and thus was born the jailbreak community. A year later, when Apple introduced the App Store (with its 30% commission), there was - seriously - much rejoicing.
15 years later, a group of software engineers out of the UK are angry with Apple… for holding back web apps. The Mac Observer says the group has launched Open Web Advocacy, a movement to “challenge Apple’s ban of third party browsers on iOS and encourage the adoption of web apps…” According to TMO, the group’s three top priorities are:
Apple Browser Ban. Apple’s ban of third party browsers on iOS is deeply anti-competitive, starves the Safari/WebKit team of funding and has stalled innovation for the past 10 years and prevented Web Apps from taking off on mobile.
Deep System Integration. Web Apps need to become just Apps. Apps built with the free and open web need equal treatment and integration. Closed and heavily taxed proprietary ecosystems should not receive any preference.
Web App Equality. All artificial barriers placed by gatekeepers must be removed. Web Apps if allowed can offer equivalent functionality with greater privacy and security for demanding use-cases.
Are there no other browsers on iOS? Eh, yes and no. The piece had Open Web Advocacy organizer Bruce Lawson telling The Register:
The motive of the group is to try to persuade Apple that they need to allow other browser engines on iOS, so the iOS can be a better platform for developing stuff for the modern web. Because at the moment, every browser on iOS, whether it be badged Chrome, Firefox or Edge is actually just a branded skin of Safari, which lags behind [other browsers] because it has no competition on iOS.
The Mac Observer offers a bit of clarification on that, saying:
All third party browsers have to use WebKit, the open source rendering engine used in Safari. Safari has features that other mobile browsers don’t such as full screen videos, full screen games, web app installation, Apple Pay, extensions, and in-app browsers. iOS WebKit browsers are also missing over 30 APIs.
