Apple claims websites can replace iOS apps, but can’t ‘name a single developer’ that has done it successfully

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In its defence, Apple made the case that: “Web browsers are used not only as a distribution portal, but also as platforms themselves, hosting ‘progressive web applications’ that eliminate the need to download a developer’s app through the App Store at all.” Progressive web applications are websites that cache information on the smartphone; they can have an app icon on the home screen, can work offline, support push notifications, and can load faster than the browser. The developer of the Telegram messaging app has also recently stated that it is working on a rich web app for iOS devices.” However, as revealed by court documents in Epic Games’ case, Apple has apparently not performed any studies or analysis that have “examine potential performance differences between web apps and native apps”. This is possibly due to the restrictions that web apps have versus ‘native’ apps, those downloaded through Apple’s App Store. Epic Games’ filings state that the “ability to create and directly distribute web apps does not lead developers to opt out of distributing native apps through the App Store”, with Ron Okamoto, Apple’s VP of Developer Relations, unable to “name a single developer that withdrew an app from the App Store because the developer could substitute to distributing a web app.” Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has also criticised Apple for its ability to “completely restrict which apps you use”, despite Apple citing the service as an example of competitive practices.