CEO of Epic Games claims Apple blocked iPhone online apps in the EU due to anticompetitive practices

In a post on X, Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, suggests that there may be more to Apple’s decision than just the fact that iPhone web apps don’t generate revenue, following the company’s confirmation yesterday that it is blocking web apps for consumers in the EU due to its compliance with the EU rule known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Although Sweeney is undoubtedly a biased source on the subject—his company sued Apple over antitrust issues pertaining to App Store fees—he poses a topic that is undoubtedly on everyone’s mind.

Following the revelation that iPhone web apps, often referred to as progressive web apps, or PWAs, were no longer functional in the most current iOS betas in the EU, the iPhone manufacturer updated its website on Thursday with information about the DMA-related adjustments it has made to remedy the issue. Apple quickly disproved the assumption that the problems were simply a beta defect, which had initially raised concerns.

Apple notes on its website that it is required to support browser engines other than WebKit, which is the browser engine used by Safari, in order to comply with the DMA. WebKit’s security architecture has been used by iOS Home Screen web apps to protect consumers from internet risks.

According to Apple, this entails isolating storage and enforcing “system prompts to access privacy-impacting capabilities.”

The business stated that in the absence of this isolation and enforcement, hostile web apps might read data from other apps and obtain authorization to access a user’s camera, microphone, or location. Apple declined to endanger users by lowering the quality of the web app experience on iOS for users in the EU, as the business is compelled by the DMA’s regulations to let alternate browser engines. Web apps will now operate like bookmarks on websites; they will no longer feature notifications, badges, local storage, or dedicated windowing.

Even though Sweeney could have a grudge against Apple, there might be some merit to his arguments. Apple acknowledges that there is a technical solution to the security issue problem; it just chose not to implement it, according to their justification for ending support for web apps in the EU.