What Apple's UK SMS Designation Means for Browsers and Web Apps

"TL;DR: The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially designated Apple as having Strategic Market Status (SMS). After four years investigating Apple’s restrictions on browser engines and web apps, the CMA now has statutory authority to enforce remedies proposed in its Market Investigation Reference completed this year.

The most important outcomes being:

- Apple can be compelled to allow third-party browsers on iOS to use their own engines.

- Apple can be compelled to provide equivalent access to functionality for browsers using their own browser engines.

- Apple can be compelled to let third-party browsers install and manage web apps using their own engines.

- Apple can be compelled to remove barriers to web app adoption, such as implementing a web app equivalent to smart banners or install prompts in iOS Safari."

The devil is always in the details. Apple can afford to contest almost every case brought under the directives by independent developers.

I'm sure the app store and fees and in app payments will be one of the battlegrounds.

That's the inspiring thing about the EU and UK regulatory frameworks: the penalties can be more than a slap on the wrist. Apple is playing a dangerous game by continuing to flout EU law and pursue a maximalist, scorched-earth strategy. Reputation matters, and they are not making friends by re-upping false arguments at every turn.

>the penalties can be more than a slap on the wrist

Because they are not intended to be punitive, they are designed to be extractive as an optional and arbitrary revenue stream.

The suggestions are trivially implementable. Thus the penalties are educational and instructive in the direction of a more open ecosystem for all.

Would love to finally see PWA's increase their usability.

One of the main features holding them back is that Apple is stifling support for Web Share Target API:

https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=194593&utm_source=ch...

Yeah but apple has the ear of the US goverment so once them come knocking I wouldn't expect much to be done.

I think thats unlikely since they can extract revenue any time they want by other mechanisms. The desire here is to control the surface of enagement in their jurisdiction not revenue. Very little income is acquired for the state through court action, Taxation cases aside.