Geo-blocking against browser diversity: Apple allegedly hinders developers
In the EU, Apple must allow full browsers from other manufacturers on iPhones. A report claims Apple is making this development as difficult as possible.
So far, all iPhone browsers are identical - from Safari to Firefox and Google Chrome.
(Image: Primakov/Shutterstock.com)
Apple is allegedly hindering the development of proper browser alternatives for iOS through targeted geo-blocking: According to a report, other manufacturers can only test their browser engines on iPhones that are physically located within one of the 27 EU member states. Developer teams based in the USA or other regions outside the EU can therefore only work on such a browser to a very limited extent, as The Register reports, citing informed developers.
Apple must allow other browser engines for the first time
Real browser alternatives to Apple's Safari are still a long time coming: even more than two months after the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU required iOS to be opened up to other browser engines, none of the major browser manufacturers have expanded their software accordingly. Both Google Chrome and Firefox had clearly been preparing for such an opening of the operating system for some time.
Until now, iPhone browsers have always had to be based on Apple's WebKit engine and were or remain limited to the set of interfaces supported by Apple. iOS versions of other engines such as Blink or Gecko have been permitted for the first time since the beginning of March, but only in the EU - manufacturers must also comply with numerous Apple specifications.
'Painful' requirements for browser manufacturers
With geo-blocking, Apple is practically preventing real browser competition – which is required by the new EU rules – from emerging on iOS, activists from Open Web Advocacy told The Register. This is "clearly absurd" – to test a security patch, for example, a specialist working in the US would have to fly to the EU. Google and Mozilla sharply criticized Apple's requirements for opening up the browser back in the spring- the iPhone company is making it as "painful as possible", Mozilla said. In future, Apple will have to allow fully-fledged third-party browsers on the iPad as well as the iPhone, but WebKit is still mandatory for all browsers outside the EU.
(lbe)