Should Apple Continue to Ban Rival Browser Engines on iOS?

This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page

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?

Big 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:

Apple 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.

Among 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. Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines state:

2.5.6 Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript.

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.

Why Apple Could Be Right to Ban Rival Browsers

Google’s Chromium is the technology behind many popular browsers including Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera. Some have argued that Chromium’s dominance is leading to a “browser monoculture,” stifling the development of rival web technologies. 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: