Apple’s iOS 17.4 is currently in beta, Apple recently released the third beta of the software and this update is bringing some major changes to the iPhone in Europe to comply with the new Digital markets App.
The update will introduce alternative app stores in Europe and alternative payment methods in apps and more, and now it has been revealed that iOS 17.4 will remove web apps from the Home Screen.
Apple is doing this for security and privacy reasons, as web apps on the Home Screen could potentially pose a risk to users, you can see more information from Apple on this below.
The iOS system has traditionally provided support for Home Screen web apps by building directly on WebKit and its security architecture. That integration means Home Screen web apps are managed to align with the security and privacy model for native apps on iOS, including isolation of storage and enforcement of system prompts to access privacy impacting capabilities on a per-site basis.
Without this type of isolation and enforcement, malicious web apps could read data from other web apps and recapture their permissions to gain access to a user’s camera, microphone or location without a user’s consent. Browsers also could install web apps on the system without a user’s awareness and consent. Addressing the complex security and privacy concerns associated with web apps using alternative browser engines would require building an entirely new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS and was not practical to undertake given the other demands of the DMA and the very low user adoption of Home Screen web apps. And so, to comply with the DMA’s requirements, we had to remove the Home Screen web apps feature in the EU.
You will still be able to access the website directly from your Home Screen with a bookmark, it will just not have the same features that the web apps did previously, you can find out more details over at Apple’s website at the link below. Apple is expected to release its iOS 18.4 software update in early March along with iPadOS 17.4 and a range of other updates.
Source Apple, 9 to 5 Mac
Image Credit: Thom Bradley
Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Top News
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