More Countries Are Forcing Apple To Allow Third-Party Browsers in iOS
Summary
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The new antitrust regulations of Japan target Apple to allow third -party applications stores and web browser engines on iPhones by December 2025.
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The rules aim to end Apple requirements for all iOS browsers to use its webkit engine, allowing alternative engines like Blink or Gecko.
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Although Apple may initially resist, Japanese regulations are more aware of Apple’s tactics, which it has withdrawn when it “allowed” third -party navigators in Europe.
Apple’s closed closing ecosystem is increasingly attracting the attention of many world governments, not only from the European Union. Now Japan wants to force Apple to allow third -party browsers – and maybe if enough governments do it, it will actually be important to something.
The new antitrust regulations finalized by the Fair Trade Japanese Commission (JFTC) will require Apple to authorize third -party application stores and, in particular, to alternative web browser engines on the iPhone, with a compliance deadline set for the end of 2025. Like the identical rules of Europe, these new rules would force Apple to comply with these measures or not be authorized to sell its devices in the country. Under the new Japanese regulations, Apple would have until December 2025 to raise these restrictions.
The rules deal with the long -standing mandate of the company according to which all the browsers on iOS must be built using its own webkit browser engine. This requirement has indicated that if browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are available on the App Store, they are essentially versions of the skin of the Apple Safari browser, unable to use their own owner engines like Blink or Gecko.
Technically, Apple has already been forced to take charge of third -party browser engines on iphones since last year, but only in Europe. However, this was fundamentally a general measure with Apple engaging in malicious compliance. As documented by Adopting the website to openThe company puts obstacles to browser tests with third -party engines and does not allow developers to update their applications contributed by the existing App Store with a third -party engine, but forces them to set up new announcements. He also deactivates updates if someone travels outside the EU for more than 30 days and puts “hard and unilateral” legal conditions for developers trying to submit a browser with a third -party engine.
Apple could try to deploy the same coverage measure that he deployed in the EU, at least at first, but it seems that Japan is at least semi-conscient of the thing that Apple tried to shoot. The regulations themselves have a section which mentions “the actions which prevent the adoption of alternative browser engines”. It mentions elements such as “to impose unreasonable technical restrictions on individual applicants of applications while allowing them to adopt alternative browser engines, to place excessive financial charges on individual application suppliers to adopt alternative browser engines and the direction of smartphones users to use individual software that incorporates alternative browser motors.”
Of course, this is only a country, and knowing how small the apple is, it will probably deploy measures that are compliant for iPhones sold on the Japanese market once iOS 26. But perhaps, just perhaps, it will come a day when enough companies will hang Apple and we will finally have an appropriate chrome or an appropriate firefox on an iPhone. A man can dream.
Source: Open web plea via Appleinsider
