Apple Reverses Plan to Stop Supporting Progressive Web Apps in EU
Following backlash and regulatory criticisms, tech giant Apple has abandoned its original plan to cease supporting Progressive Web Apps (PWA) on its phones in the European Union (EU) with the iOS 17.4 update. The decision was originally prompted by the new “Digital Markets Act” (DMA) regulations. The company pledged to “continue to offer existing web app features for the main screen in the EU”.
Addressing Security Concerns under DMA Regulations
Apple’s original decision to stop PWA support drew criticism, and EU officials announced their willingness to investigate the decision. Apple initially responded that retaining this feature under new regulatory conditions would require creating a “completely new integration architecture which currently does not exist in iOS”. This effort was meant to ensure the resolution of “complex security and privacy issues associated with web applications using alternative browser engines”. According to Apple, going ahead with the required work was considered impractical due to the “demands of the DMA and the low popularity of web apps on the main screen among users”.
Support for PWA Remains with iOS 17.4
The company has now changed its stance, stating that PWA will continue to be supported on EU phones with iOS 17.4. They emphasised that “This support means that web apps on the main screen will still be created directly on WebKit and its security architecture, conforming to the security and privacy model of native iOS applications”. To put it another way, regardless of the browser through which the web application has been added to the main screen, it will only launch through WebKit.
