Chrome Boss Criticizes iPhone Browser Engine Rules for Limiting Consumer Choice

Apple recently announced that it would allow “alternative” browser engines on the iPhone in Europe, in response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In light of this, Google’s head of Chrome has shared insights on the forthcoming iPhone browser engine change.

iOS 17.4, currently in beta and expected to go stable next month, permits iOS apps in the European Union to utilize non-WebKit browser engines, including both “dedicated browser apps and apps providing in-app browsing experiences.”

For a long time, Chrome and Microsoft Edge on the iPhone have been constrained to use the same browser engine as Safari instead of Blink, while Firefox has been unable to implement Gecko. This lack of flexibility restricts meaningful web browser competition and differentiation, unlike what is observed on desktop platforms and Android.

Apple has outlined detailed steps and specific criteria, including requirements for “timely security updates to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities,” for obtaining the Web Browser Engine Entitlement.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Parisa Tabriz, Chrome’s vice president and general manager, stated today that “Apple’s approach to supporting web browser or engine choice on iOS is not sufficiently robust. Their strategy is overly restrictive and unlikely to result in genuine choice for browser developers.”

She echoed Mozilla’s previous statement, which indicated that Firefox would need to “build and maintain two separate browser implementations” due to the limitation of alternative browser engines being exclusive to the EU.

Blink for iOS expected by March 2023

While Google is one of the few companies with the capacity to commit engineering resources to this endeavor, Microsoft is a significant collaborator and contributor to Chromium and Blink. Google initiated a project last year to bring Blink to iOS, described at the time as “experimental only” and not yet a “shippable product.” However, this was before the impending iOS change. We have contacted Google to inquire whether they intend to introduce Blink to iOS or if they consider the Europe-only limitation too restrictive to implement.

In addition to Chrome and other Chromium browsers like Edge, third-party apps could also adopt Blink (Embedded Browser Engine Entitlement).