Apple has recently made changes to the functionality of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) for users in the EU with the second beta of iOS 17.4. These changes involve disabling much of the functionality of PWAs on the Home Screen.

Hello and welcome! 🤗
Today I'm going to share some interesting insights about PWAs on iOS 17.4. Let's dive into the topic together!

For those that don't know PWA is a "Progressive Web App" Basically an app that runs as a website and can be installed to do many things on-device.

In an update on the Developer website, Apple explained that this decision was made due to concerns about security risks associated with supporting alternative browser engines. According to Apple, PWAs built on WebKit's security architecture align with the privacy and security model for native apps on iOS. However, without proper isolation, malicious web apps could potentially access sensitive user data without consent.

To address these security concerns, Apple would need to build a new integration architecture, which the company deemed impractical given other requirements and low user adoption of Home Screen web apps.

As a result, iPhone users in the EU will still be able to access websites from the Home Screen through bookmarks, but PWA features such as dedicated windows, long-term local storage, and notifications won't be available. Instead, web apps will open in Safari or another default browser.

Apple emphasized that these changes are necessary for compliance with regulations and regretted any inconvenience caused to developers and users. These updates come alongside other changes to the App Store in the EU, including allowing alternative app marketplaces and payment methods.

So much to talk about from a developer and user perspective right? Let me know in the comment section what you think about this change.

Until next time!!!