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Apple Won't Remove Home Screen Web Apps From iOS After All

Though it removed them from iOS 17.4 beta, Apple has reversed course after backlash.

March 2, 2024
An iPhone display (Credit: Shutterstcok / DenPhotos)

Apple won’t be removing home screen web apps in the European Union after all.

In February, Apple announced that web apps would no longer work on iOS devices in the European Union due to rules around browsers in the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), specifically the requirement to support non-WebKit browsers.

At the time, Apple claimed that supporting web apps under the DMA requirements could create privacy and security concerns and that it would require the company to build an “entirely new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS.” The company said that supporting the apps wasn’t practical given their very low level of user adoption.

As it turns out, that small amount of users might be a vocal one. In a developer support document published Friday, Apple said: “We have received requests to continue to offer support for Home Screen web apps in iOS, therefore we will continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability in the EU.”

The company went on to say that its continued support means that Home Screen web apps can be built directly on WebKit and its security architecture, and “align with the security and privacy model for native apps on iOS.”

Apple removed support for web apps in the beta version of iOS 17.4. Instead of launching the app, tapping on a web app icon would instead ask users if they would like to open the website in Safari. While that will remain the case in the current beta version, when iOS 17.4 is officially released, web apps will once again be functional.

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About Emily Price

Weekend Reporter

Emily is a freelance writer based in Durham, NC. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Lifehacker, Popular Mechanics, Macworld, Engadget, Computerworld, and more. You can also snag a copy of her book Productivity Hacks: 500+ Easy Ways to Accomplish More at Work--That Actually Work! online through Simon & Schuster or wherever books are sold.

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