{"id":41880,"date":"2024-01-26T11:48:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T16:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=41880"},"modified":"2026-01-06T16:38:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:38:51","slug":"dma-compliance-alternative-browser-engines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/26\/dma-compliance-alternative-browser-engines\/","title":{"rendered":"DMA Compliance: Alternative Browser Engines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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The coming changes to iOS in the EU include:<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

New frameworks and APIs for alternative browser engines — enabling developers to use browser engines, other than WebKit, for browser apps and apps with in-app browsing experiences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Apple<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

To use an alternative browser engine in your app, you’ll need to request the Web Browser Engine Entitlement (for browser apps that want to use alternative browser engines) or the Embedded Browser Engine Entitlement (for apps that provide in-app browsing experiences that want to use alternative browser engines).<\/p>\n

Apple will provide authorized developers access to technologies within the system that enable critical functionality and help developers offer high-performance modern browser engines. These technologies include just-in-time compilation, multiprocess support, and more.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

To help keep users safe online, Apple will only authorize developers to implement alternative browser engines after meeting specific criteria and who commit to a number of ongoing privacy and security requirements, including timely security updates to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It sounds like this only applies to iPhone apps, they have to be EU-only, and they’re not allowed to be set as the default browser<\/a><\/strike>.<\/p>\n\n

David Pierce<\/a> (MacRumors<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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Since the beginning of the App Store, Apple has allowed lots of browsers but only one browser engine: WebKit. WebKit is the technology that underpins Safari, but it’s far from the only engine on the market. Google’s Chrome is based on an engine called Blink, which is also part of the overall Chromium project that is used by most other browsers on the market. Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera, and many others all use Chromium and Blink. Mozilla’s Firefox runs on its own engine, called Gecko.<\/p>\n

On iOS, though, all those browsers have been forced to run on WebKit instead, which means many features and extensions simply don’t work anymore.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n