Not big in Japan: Apple's WebKit browser requirement may break new law
(2025/08/06)
- Reference: 1754512506
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/06/apples_webkit_rule_japan/
- Source link:
Apple now faces challenges to its WebKit browser requirement in three jurisdictions, as authorities around the globe try to jumpstart competition in the mobile software industry.
Japan last week published [1]legal guidance for its recent smartphone competition law, the [2]Mobile Software Competition Act , indicating that restrictions like Apple's WebKit mandate for browsing apps will not be allowed.
Apple's requirement, spelled out in section 2.5.6 of its [3]App Store Review Guidelines , states, "Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit JavaScript."
[4]
WebKit is a browser engine, similar to the Blink engine used for Chromium browsers and the Gecko engine used in Mozilla's Firefox browser. Each engine implements web standards and APIs that allow the browser to render web pages, but they have [5]differences in terms of performance, security, and [6]supported features .
[7]
[8]
Apple's restriction has been a sore spot for web developers since its inception, because it limits the amount of competitive differentiation between browsers on iOS devices and allows [9]Progressive Web Apps (PWAs, which Apple calls Home Screen web apps) access only to the web APIs supported in WebKit.
Presently, browsers such as Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi have substantially similar capabilities to Apple's Safari browser on iOS, because they all run the WebKit engine under the hood. While alternate browser engines may have other capabilities, iOS browser vendors can't use them.
[10]
As a result, browsers on iOS lack support for [11]features like easy home screen installation that would make PWAs more competitive with native iOS apps, a market segment that Apple controls and monetizes. Apple's App Store ecosystem generated [12]nearly $1.3 trillion [PDF] in billings and sales globally in 2024, so the company has an incentive to ensure that native iOS apps perform better than PWAs.
[13]Atlassian's Trello redesign may be 'worst in tech history' say frustrated users
[14]Google, OpenAI, Anthropic get blanket deal to saturate US government with their AI
[15]Mobile industry charts course to smartphone satellite broadband
[16]Court upholds Epic win in Google Play Store antitrust battle
Apple last year planned to [17]drop support for PWAs until objections by developers and web lobbying group Open Web Advocacy (OWA) [18]prompted the iBiz to reconsider .
Regulators in the European Union and the United Kingdom separately have signaled that they expect Apple to allow non-WebKit browser engines. And Apple made that technically possible last year [19]in iOS 17.4 .
While Google and Mozilla [20]began preparing for that possibility at least since 2022, neither has actually attempted to distribute their browser in Europe with the Blink or Gecko engines because [21]Apple's requirements remain onerous .
To address this, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in July proposed designating Apple and Google with " [22]strategic market status ," which is the equivalent to Europe's "gatekeeper" designation under its Digital Markets Act (DMA). We [23]expect a decision in October.
[24]
But in Japan, according to OWA, regulators have anticipated Apple's reluctant compliance. The group notes that Japan's guidelines explicitly prohibit measures that would hinder the adoption of third-party browser engines.
That means, OWA says, that Apple must not only end its outright ban on non-WebKit engines but must also avoid practices that make implementing third-party engines impractical or financially burdensome.
"This is directly relevant to Apple’s current iOS behavior, even under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, where [25]technical and procedural restrictions continue to block meaningful competition," the group said in a [26]blog post . "Japan’s guidance is clearly designed to avoid similar outcomes."
Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act is expected to come into force in December.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment. ®
Get our [27]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.jftc.go.jp/file/MSCA_Guidelines_tentative_translation.pdf
[2] https://www.jftc.go.jp/en/pressreleases/yearly-2024/June/240612.html
[3] https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.maccormac.net/comparison-web-engines/
[6] https://howfuguismybrowser.dev/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whatpwacando.today/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://vinova.sg/navigating-safari-ios-pwa-limitations/
[12] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/2024-Apple-Global-Ecosystem-Report-June2025.pdf
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/trello_redesign_as_bad_as/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/google_openai_anthropic_us_gov_ai_deal/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/mobile_satellite_broadband_roadmap/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/01/epic_google_verdict_affirmed/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/apple_web_apps/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/02/apple_reverses_pwa_decision/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/06/ios_17_4_eu_compliance/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/mozilla_google_apple_webkit/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/17/apple_browser_eu/
[22] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-proposes-action-to-drive-more-competition-on-mobile-platforms
[23] https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/uk-regulator-flags-apples-ios-browser-engine-ban-in-draft-sms-designation/
[24] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[25] https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/
[26] https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/japan-apple-must-lift-engine-ban-by-december/
[27] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Japan last week published [1]legal guidance for its recent smartphone competition law, the [2]Mobile Software Competition Act , indicating that restrictions like Apple's WebKit mandate for browsing apps will not be allowed.
Apple's requirement, spelled out in section 2.5.6 of its [3]App Store Review Guidelines , states, "Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit JavaScript."
[4]
WebKit is a browser engine, similar to the Blink engine used for Chromium browsers and the Gecko engine used in Mozilla's Firefox browser. Each engine implements web standards and APIs that allow the browser to render web pages, but they have [5]differences in terms of performance, security, and [6]supported features .
[7]
[8]
Apple's restriction has been a sore spot for web developers since its inception, because it limits the amount of competitive differentiation between browsers on iOS devices and allows [9]Progressive Web Apps (PWAs, which Apple calls Home Screen web apps) access only to the web APIs supported in WebKit.
Presently, browsers such as Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi have substantially similar capabilities to Apple's Safari browser on iOS, because they all run the WebKit engine under the hood. While alternate browser engines may have other capabilities, iOS browser vendors can't use them.
[10]
As a result, browsers on iOS lack support for [11]features like easy home screen installation that would make PWAs more competitive with native iOS apps, a market segment that Apple controls and monetizes. Apple's App Store ecosystem generated [12]nearly $1.3 trillion [PDF] in billings and sales globally in 2024, so the company has an incentive to ensure that native iOS apps perform better than PWAs.
[13]Atlassian's Trello redesign may be 'worst in tech history' say frustrated users
[14]Google, OpenAI, Anthropic get blanket deal to saturate US government with their AI
[15]Mobile industry charts course to smartphone satellite broadband
[16]Court upholds Epic win in Google Play Store antitrust battle
Apple last year planned to [17]drop support for PWAs until objections by developers and web lobbying group Open Web Advocacy (OWA) [18]prompted the iBiz to reconsider .
Regulators in the European Union and the United Kingdom separately have signaled that they expect Apple to allow non-WebKit browser engines. And Apple made that technically possible last year [19]in iOS 17.4 .
While Google and Mozilla [20]began preparing for that possibility at least since 2022, neither has actually attempted to distribute their browser in Europe with the Blink or Gecko engines because [21]Apple's requirements remain onerous .
To address this, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in July proposed designating Apple and Google with " [22]strategic market status ," which is the equivalent to Europe's "gatekeeper" designation under its Digital Markets Act (DMA). We [23]expect a decision in October.
[24]
But in Japan, according to OWA, regulators have anticipated Apple's reluctant compliance. The group notes that Japan's guidelines explicitly prohibit measures that would hinder the adoption of third-party browser engines.
That means, OWA says, that Apple must not only end its outright ban on non-WebKit engines but must also avoid practices that make implementing third-party engines impractical or financially burdensome.
"This is directly relevant to Apple’s current iOS behavior, even under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, where [25]technical and procedural restrictions continue to block meaningful competition," the group said in a [26]blog post . "Japan’s guidance is clearly designed to avoid similar outcomes."
Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act is expected to come into force in December.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment. ®
Get our [27]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.jftc.go.jp/file/MSCA_Guidelines_tentative_translation.pdf
[2] https://www.jftc.go.jp/en/pressreleases/yearly-2024/June/240612.html
[3] https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.maccormac.net/comparison-web-engines/
[6] https://howfuguismybrowser.dev/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whatpwacando.today/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://vinova.sg/navigating-safari-ios-pwa-limitations/
[12] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/2024-Apple-Global-Ecosystem-Report-June2025.pdf
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/trello_redesign_as_bad_as/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/google_openai_anthropic_us_gov_ai_deal/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/06/mobile_satellite_broadband_roadmap/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/01/epic_google_verdict_affirmed/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/apple_web_apps/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/02/apple_reverses_pwa_decision/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/06/ios_17_4_eu_compliance/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/mozilla_google_apple_webkit/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/17/apple_browser_eu/
[22] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-proposes-action-to-drive-more-competition-on-mobile-platforms
[23] https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/uk-regulator-flags-apples-ios-browser-engine-ban-in-draft-sms-designation/
[24] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJPQfwjFu5hWFzbG10mdCQAAAAs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[25] https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/
[26] https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/japan-apple-must-lift-engine-ban-by-december/
[27] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: I'll make my usual post here
Jamie Jones
You make some good points I hadn't actually thought of.
I really dislike the anti-competitive situation that Apple has, so what's the solution? I'm now stumped.
Re: I'll make my usual post here
Anonymous Coward
I came here just to say this, but you already have. Forcing Apple to allow non-Webkit engines on iOS may sound like a good idea at first glance but it will only cement Blink/Chrome's position even further.
Especially now [1]WebKit has made tremendous strides in the last few years and [2]is no longer the straggler it once was when it comes to implementing new web technologies I believe WebKit deserves a good chance to survive to keep the web pluriform. We can't leave it to Mozilla alone.
[1] https://webkit.org/blog/
[2] https://webkit.org/blog/16413/the-success-of-interop-2024/
I'll make my usual post here
Forcing Apple to allow third party browser engines would be the death of the free web. Chrome will quickly dominate as web designers will no longer need to take third party browsers into account if everyone browsing from an iPhone had the option of downloading Chrome. They'll design for Chrome, put up a "best viewed in Chrome" label and when things break on Safari iPhone users will be forced to download Chrome to view them. It'll be the bad old days of IE6 all over again.
Further, PVAs might sound good in theory but permitting them means supporting some nasty insecure shit in your browser. Giving it access to not only the camera and microphone, but also USB devices, wifi, bluetooth, NFC, etc. I for one don't want the browser to become an operating system running on top of another operating system, because developers want to be lazy and design apps that target a single "browser OS" on iOS, Android and Windows. Then we have two separate spheres of operating system security attacks to worry about - with the browser OS being BY FAR the worst, since you're combining the security exposure of an entire OS with all your browsing to random sites (including sketchy third party ad/framework sites hit via your visits to reputable sites) which is a recipe for a rapid increase in security exploits.
In isolation Apple allowing third party browsers is the right thing to do. But so long as Chrome is effectively a monopoly on non-Apple platforms the risk of forcing that change on Apple is far far far worse than the minor improvements in the status quo it provides.