A month ago, Apple announced that it would comply with the law on digital stores in the European Union and launch alternative mobile stores on iOS. However, at the same time, she decided to disable support for PWA — progressive web applications in the region. The latest decision has attracted the attention of the European Commission.
According to the Financial Times, the European regulator recently sent a questionnaire to mobile app developers. He is interested in what consequences the termination of PWA support may lead to.
With the help of PWA, developers can turn a website into a mobile application. Such a product is distributed outside the App Store, so developers do not pay a commission to Apple.
Apple representatives declined to comment to the Financial Times on the actions of the European Commission. Earlier, in other statements, the company linked its decision to the requirements of the Digital Markets Act. The fact is that according to it, Apple is forced to allow not only its WebKit, but also other engines to be used in iOS browsers. However, according to Apple, PWA distributed through third-party browsers can harm user privacy and security.
"According to our estimates, disabling PWA in the European Union will affect a small number of users. Nevertheless, we regret the possible negative consequences of this change — made as part of the work to comply with the law on digital stores — that developers of progressive web applications and our users may face," Apple said.