Apple told us that because of the WebKit restriction, it is able to address security issues across all browsers on the iPhone, for all iPhone users, quickly and effectively (given there is only one browser engine).
#Apple safari runs risk becoming new code#
In particular, many modern websites run code from unknown developers. In its mobile ecosystems market study interim report, the CMA said that Apple defended its WebKit policy on iOS using the following rationale:Īpple told us that only allowing WebKit on iOS is motivated primarily by security and privacy considerations.
If Apple stops mandating the use of WebKit on iOS and iPadOS, the developers behind the mobile versions of browsers like Chrome and Edge could switch to Chromium like their desktop counterparts, enabling Chromium to obtain even larger overall market share and potentially limit the chances of rival technologies competing with it. Beyond Chrome, Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, dominate the other most popular browsers.
#Apple safari runs risk becoming new android#
Despite Safari being the default browser on the iPhone and iPad, Safari has a 26.71 percent market share on mobile, while Chrome dominates both iOS and Android with a market share of 62.06 percent. Safari currently has a more secure position on mobile platforms than it does on desktops, but it still comes second to Google Chrome. We need more voices, not fewer.Īccording to data from web analytics service StatCounter, Safari holds a 9.84 percent market share of desktop browsers compared to Google Chrome's overwhelming 65.38 percent. Catching up with tech Twitter this morning and there seems to be an angry pocket of men who really want Safari to just go away.ĭo we really want to live in a 95% Chromium browser world? That would be a horrible future for the web. A tweet from Jen Simmons, an Apple Evangelist and developer advocate for Safari, appears to suggest the importance of maintaining the WebKit restriction for this reason: Some have argued that Chromium's dominance is leading to a "browser monoculture," stifling the development of rival web technologies. Google's Chromium is the technology behind many popular browsers including Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera. Why Apple Could Be Right to Ban Rival Browsers
There is heated debate around this requirement, with some developers and regulatory agencies contending that it actively stifles innovation on iOS and iPadOS, while Apple argues that it is necessary to protect user security and privacy, as well as prevent the dominance of Chromium. Apple's App Store Review Guidelines state:Ģ.5.6 Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript. Apple requires all apps that browse the web in iOS and iPadOS to use its own browser engine, WebKit, but amid accusations of anti-competitive conduct, should it continue to effectively ban rival browser engines?īig tech has been gripped by accusations of anti-competitive conduct in recent times, with Chief Executive of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Andrea Coscelli declaring in a press release:Īpple and Google have developed a vice-like grip over how we use mobile phones and we're concerned that it's causing millions of people across the UK to lose out.Īmong these accusations of anti-competitive conduct, Apple has been criticized for demanding apps that browse the web to use the WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript on iOS and iPadOS, in a policy that effectively bans non-WebKit based browsers.
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