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In response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple announced last week that it would allow “alternative” browser engines on iPhones in Europe. Google’s Chrome chief today shared his thoughts on upcoming changes to the iPhone browser engine.
iOS 17.4, currently in beta and expected to be stable next month, will allow iOS apps (both “dedicated browser apps and apps that provide an in-app browsing experience”) to use non-WebKit browser engines in the European Union. It will be.
On iPhone, Chrome and Microsoft Edge have long been required to use the same browser engine as Safari instead of Blink, while Firefox cannot implement Gecko. This limits meaningful competition and differentiation for web browsers, as seen on desktop platforms and Android.
To obtain rights to this web browser engine, Apple requires certain criteria, “timely security updates to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities,” and other “ongoing privacy and security requirements.” We have provided very detailed instructions, including:
Parisa Tavris, vice president and general manager of Chrome I said it today “Apple is not serious about supporting web browser or engine choice on iOS. Their strategy is overly restrictive and does not result in any real choice for browser developers.”
He agreed with Mozilla’s previous statement that Firefox would need to “build and maintain two separate browser implementations” given that the alternative browser engine is EU-only.
Blink for iOS as of March 2023
That said, Google should be one of the few companies able to put engineering resources into this effort, while Microsoft is a big collaborator/contributor to Chromium and Blink. Last year, Google launched a project to bring Blink to iOS. At the time, it was described as being “for experimental purposes only” and not a “shippable product.” But that’s before the upcoming iOS changes. We asked Google if it plans to bring Blink to iOS, or if its European-only nature is too restrictive.
In addition to other Chromium browsers such as Chrome and Edge, third-party apps may also adopt Blink (Embedded Browser Engine Entitlement).
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