Apple is further opening up iOS to alternative browsers and browser engines, as part of Cupertino’s plan to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
In iOS 17.4 — launched Thursday as a beta — iPhone users in the EU will have a lot more choice over the default browser and browser engines.
The biggest change will be the ability to use alternative browser engines, like Google’s Blink renderer instead of Apple’s WebKit.
Alternate browsing engines coming to iOS
Apple on Thursday announced sweeping changes to iOS thanks to mandates from the European Union, which has found Apple’s operating system to be restrictive and anti-competitive. Among the changes, Apple will allow sideloaded apps and alternative app stores; alternative payment systems; streaming games and apps; and alternative browsers and browser engines. But these changes are available only to users in the European Union, and come with significant restrictions.
Right now, iOS users can switch default browsers, but not browser engines. Apple’s WebKit is the exclusive browser engine for both browsers and in-app browser windows.
The changes will make iOS work much more like the Mac, which allows alternatives to Apple’s defaults.
In the iOS 17.4 update, users will see a new “choice” screen upon opening Safari for the first time. This screen will allow users to pick their default browser from a list of options. The list will include the most-downloaded browsers on iOS, including Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Brave.
Once set as the default, the browser will be used to open all links across the system, whether in email, messages or social media.
Changes don’t seem to be live yet
The changes don’t seem to have been implemented yet. Beta testers in Europe report that the browser picker isn’t yet active in the 17.4 beta.
Appel brings the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt)
Apple warned that alternative browser engines may drain battery life or cause glitches.
“Apps that use alternative browser engines — other than Apple’s WebKit — may negatively affect the user experience, including impacts to system performance and battery life,” the company said in a statement.
Browsers will also be able to use alternative browser engines. Right now, all iOS browsers must use Apple’s own WebKit browser engine, including third-party browsers.
Chrome, for example, will be able to use the Blink rendering engine, for both the browser app and in-app browser windows.
The changes announced by Apple on Thursday amount to the biggest changes to iOS since the App Store launched in 2009. iPhone users in the EU will also be able to use alternative App marketplaces and alternative contactless apps for payments — and choose their own defaults. However, these changes are available only to iPhone and iPad users in the European Union.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander is an expert on:
Apple and Apple history
Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook and Apple leadership
Apple community
iPhone and iOS
iPad and iPadOS
Mac and macOS
Apple Watch and watchOS
Apple TV and tvOS
AirPods
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
