Apple is changing its plans to stop supporting the installation of Progressive Web Apps in the EU.Discovered in an update to the developer support page 9 to 5Apple says it will “continue to provide existing Home Screen web app functionality in the EU” in iOS 17.4.
However, Apple notes that home screen apps will still be “built directly on WebKit,” the engine used by Safari. This means that web apps downloaded from third-party browsers such as Google Chrome or Firefox may not be powered by their own engines – although Apple added support for EU third-party browser engines in the same update.
“In the EU, developers and users who may have been affected by the removal of Home Screen Web Apps from iOS betas can expect the return of existing functionality for Home Screen Web Apps with the launch of iOS 17.4 in early March.” Apple wrote.
Apple in February confirmed plans to abandon iOS web apps in the EU, a move that would severely limit their functionality by preventing them from sending push notifications and storing data. At the time, Apple blamed the decision on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) because it had to build “a completely new integration architecture” that was “impractical” given the changes it would have to make to comply with the DMA. . But now, Apple says it’s changing that decision after “receiving requests to continue supporting the feature.”