More than a year after EU regulations forced Apple to open the iPhone to third-party browser engines, iPhone users in the region still can’t access a single browser that doesn’t rely on Apple’s WebKit engine. According to Open Web Advocacy (OWA), the non-profit group pushing for open browser competition, that’s not a coincidence. Tt’s a deliberate strategy by Apple to protect its profits.
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires Apple to let browser makers use their own engines. In theory, this change meant users could finally get alternatives that weren’t just Safari in disguise. But in practice, developers say Apple has made it so difficult to implement these changes that no one has succeeded.
OWA: Apple’s compliance is “malicious”
OWA argues Apple is engaging in “malicious compliance” by creating a maze of technical, legal, marketing, and practical barriers. Developers, it says, have been unable to test their apps properly, have been forced to agree to restrictive legal terms, and cannot offer updates through existing apps, but must launch entirely new ones. On top of that, Apple blocks these apps from being updated if a user spends more than 30 days outside the EU.
OWA says Apple only recently removed the technical testing barrier. The rest remain in place.
“Apple knows exactly what the barriers are, and has chosen not to remove them,” the group said during a recent DMA workshop, according to Open Web Advocacy.
Apple, for its part, denies any wrongdoing.
“We recognize under the DMA that we’ve been forced to change,” Apple said at the same workshop. “We have created a program that keeps security and privacy in mind… and allows third parties to bring their browser engine… for whatever reason, they have chosen not to do so.”
Profit is the motive, not user security, OWA claims
OWA says Apple’s motivation is clear: money. Safari is reportedly Apple’s most profitable product on a margin basis, generating around $20 billion per year. Most of that comes from its deal with Google, which pays Apple to be the default search engine. According to OWA, every 1% of browser market share Safari loses could cost Apple $200 million in annual revenue.
That revenue deal is also under separate antitrust scrutiny, but for now, it remains intact.
“Safari accounts for 14-16% of Apple’s operating profit,” OWA stated, citing internal estimates and market data reviewed by The Register and 9to5Mac.
Despite Apple’s public statements, the facts on the ground are clear: over 15 months after the rules changed, not one browser with its own engine has made it to iOS in the EU. For OWA, that’s not an oversight. It’s the result of Apple’s calculated resistance.
