Telegram founder Pavel Durov is criticizing Apple – again – on his public channel on the platform. This time, Durov claimed that Apple is limiting what web developers can do on iOS by intentionally limiting the functionality of the web app – something that certainly affects the web version of Telegram.
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Although Telegram is available on the App Store, the platform has faced some issues with Apple’s review process in the past due to Telegram’s public channels, which do not have content restrictions. To get around some of these restrictions, Telegram also offers a full web version with almost all the features available in the mobile version – except that it is also limited to iOS.
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Telegram's CEO pointed out how many developers complain that "Safari is killing the web" due to its limitations. Durov also points to an article published by Telegram's web developers in April that listed 10 issues with the iOS version of Safari, which lacks features like push notifications , VP8 and VP9 codecs , high refresh rates , and visual artifacts.
For Durov, the reason Apple is "crippling" web apps is to force users to download apps from the App Store so that the company can collect a commission from developers.
We suspect that Apple may be intentionally crippling its web apps to force its users to download more native apps where Apple can charge a 30% commission.
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Apple under investigation for WebKit restrictions
Unlike macOS, iOS doesn’t allow developers to choose a different web engine for their apps. Instead, any app that needs a web app must use Apple’s WebKit. And it’s no surprise that Apple does limit what web apps can do compared to native apps.
Last week, the UK government concluded after a year-long study that Apple is “limiting the ability of competing browsers to differentiate themselves from Safari.” The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) believes these restrictions “inhibit” the capabilities of web apps on iPhone and iPad devices .
Although a decision has not yet been made, the UK government is now considering launching a new investigation into Apple. Of course, it's worth noting that iOS 16 resolves some of these limitations, as it now includes web push notifications.
Information source: 9to5mac.com
