Apple restricts third-party browser engines on iOS despite EU laws

Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into effect in the European Union more than a year ago, Apple was supposed to allow third-party browser developers to add their own engines to iOS, rather than restricting them to its own WebKit, but that never happened. The nonprofit Open Web Advocacy (OWA) says the problem is the restrictions Apple continues to impose.

During a recent DMA seminar, the Cupertino company said it didn't understand why no browser developer had ported its engine to iOS in the past 15 months. However, OWA notes that Apple is well aware of the obstacles preventing it from doing so and is deliberately choosing not to remove them.

The restrictions that Apple imposed on browser developers caused the loss of European users, because developers, like Google or Mozilla, were not allowed to simply update an existing application with a new engine, but were required to release a new application. Another technical limitation is testing. Apple allows application developers outside the EU to test region-specific functionality, but at the same time does not give web developers the opportunity to test their software on other engines.

Other restrictions include the inability to update apps for users who decide to travel outside the European Union for more than 30 days. Apple also imposes harsh, one-sided, and DMA-incompatible contractual terms.

Apple has already worked on two restrictions. First, the company allowed developers to implement both its own and WebKit engines in a browser application. The second problem that the company fixed is the testing that developers can now conduct outside the EU. However, even with the permission to use two engines in one application, in order to release a browser without WebKit, developers still have to create a new application, which risks losing their entire existing audience among Europeans.

OWA also notes that Apple is in no hurry to remove these restrictions because of the financial benefits that Safari brings to the company. According to the organization, Safari is Apple's highest-margin product, accounting for 14-16% of the company's operating profit. The browser brings the company $20 billion annually from the Google deal alone, and losing even 1% of market share would result in a $200 million loss.

"Ensuring other browsers are not able to compete fairly is critical to Apple’s best and easiest revenue stream, and allows Apple to retain full control over the maximum capabilities of web apps, limiting their performance and utility to prevent them from meaningfully competing with native apps distributed through their app store," OWA says.