Some updates ago, iPhone web apps (also called PWAs) stopped working right for people in Europe. Developers and reporters said it seemed like a glitch. But Apple explains it was not an accident – they made PWAs stop working on purpose.
A new EU rule called the Digital Markets Act is making Apple let other app stores and payment options on iPhones in Europe. It also wants Apple to allow different browsers besides Safari. Apple says adding other browsers is too complicated.
It would be hard to keep web apps secure if they used browsers besides Safari. Apps from other browsers could access your camera or location without permission. Apple would need to totally rebuild how iPhone web apps work to add other browsers safely. That would take a long time with all the other changes the EU rule requires.
So Apple chose to remove the feature that lets iPhone web apps work like real apps from your home screen. Now in Europe, web apps will just open in Safari like regular websites bookmarked to your home screen.
Some people argue Apple did this to hold on to power over what apps can do on iPhones. But Apple explains they had to pick security over web apps due to the complex new rules. Either way, iPhone users in Europe lost helpful web app features because of new laws affecting big tech companies like Apple.
