Japan Law Will Require Apple to Allow Non-WebKit Browsers on iPhone

by

Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act will require Apple to allow non-WebKit web browsers in the App Store on the iPhone later this year.

webkit vs chromium feature
Specifically, the law "forbids designated providers from preventing individual app providers from using alternative browser engines."

In most countries, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other popular web browsers on iOS are all currently forced to use WebKit, which is the web engine that powers Safari. Apple has previously stated that the WebKit requirement is due to security and privacy considerations, but critics have argued that the policy is anticompetitive.

Japan's law will allow web browsers and in-app browsers on the iPhone to use alternative browser engines like Blink (used by Chrome, Edge, and Opera) and Gecko (used by Firefox). The regulation takes full effect in December.

Apple has already allowed non-WebKit browsers on the iPhone and iPad in the EU since iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 18, to comply with the Digital Markets Act. However, Apple has a long list of requirements for alternative browsers on the iPhone and iPad, and there are still no major non-WebKit browsers available in the App Store on those platforms.

As noted by the not-for-profit Open Web Advocacy group on Wednesday, Japan's law goes a step further to ensure that there is a viable path for non-WebKit browsers, by preventing Apple from imposing "unreasonable technical restrictions" on web browsers that wish to implement alternative browser engines on the iPhone.

Japan's law will also require Apple to show a default browser selection screen in Safari on the iPhone, and the requirements for that are similarly strict.

Alongside the EU and Japan, it is expected that the UK will also require Apple to allow non-WebKit browsers on the iPhone in the foreseeable future.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: App Store, Safari, WebKit

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Read Full Article • 89 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Read Full Article • 82 comments
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Read Full Article • 68 comments
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Read Full Article • 98 comments
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Read Full Article • 38 comments
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
Read Full Article • 20 comments
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Update Now: iOS 26.2 Fixes 20+ Security Vulnerabilities

Friday December 12, 2025 11:11 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and macOS 26.2, all of which introduce new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. Apple says that the updates address over 20 vulnerabilities, including two bugs that are known to have been actively exploited. There are a pair of WebKit vulnerabilities that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code or cause memory...
Read Full Article • 100 comments

Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat Avatar
WarmWinterHat
19 weeks ago

A government body is telling you how to run your business. Absolutely ridiculous.

Apple shouldn't be forced into anything on their platform by anyone except for Apple. It's their software, their business what they do with it.
Why are businesses so special they are should be exempt from laws? What you are suggesting is saying they should have more rights than citizens.

No, corporations exist at the pleasure of the government and the populace. If they want to operate in said country, they follow said countries laws.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ItsASpider Avatar
ItsASpider
19 weeks ago

Have you studied Apple’s BrowserEngineKit implementation in detail so that you can say that?

What specifically in it is badly / maliciously implemented which prevents anyone from implementing their own engine?
No, but Mozilla has ('https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052067/mozilla-apple-ios-browser-rules-firefox'). As has Google ('https://9to5google.com/2024/02/02/google-chrome-blink-ios-browser-engine/').


Also, are you aware that Google’s engine is, in practice, the only other engine in existence? This decision will cement Google’s dominance of web technology and future direction.

New engines will not magically appear, even when Apple eventually allows alternative engines globally on iOS. Implementing a modern engine is so huge undertaking that nobody will probably ever do it again.

Even Microsoft gave up and adopted Google’s engine.
So your argument is "there is almost no other engine" and thus we should just continue to tolerate the behavior that got us to this point in the first place? Apple enforcing WebKit is in part to blame why other engine found themselves in a spot were it was increasingly hard to compete because more and more websites were optimized for it instead of the standards itself to the point where Presto and Trident eventually had to be killed off. This is exactly the kind of nonsense why we only have WebKit, Blink and Gecko left today...


most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.
Hi, developer here. WebKit is a terrible engine with a ridiculous amount of long standing bugs and inconsistent behavior. The only thing its good at is showing what happens when you don't need to compete with anyone else...


Yeah but putting laws in place to directly target a company to force it into something they never wanted to do? Do you get me or not?
That's how every law is put in place. People did something that shouldn't be socially acceptable, and laws were put in place to make that behavior illegal.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
con2apple Avatar
con2apple
19 weeks ago

A government body is telling you how to run your business. Absolutely ridiculous.
I don't even know what to say to that.

There's a company that dumps unfiltered toxins from its factory into the river, poisoning everyone in Los Angeles, and then you come along and say, “That's business. A company don't need to care for everything."

And don't tell me it's different.

Just because you don't want to take the dangers of a software monopoly seriously – because the monopoly here is run by Apple rather than Microsoft – doesn't make it any less dangerous.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
con2apple Avatar
con2apple
19 weeks ago

Then buy something else? Like...didn't you know what you're buying into when you bought an iPhone?
Oh, so you admit that everyone knew Apple restricted the software freedoms of iOS.

Can you tell me the following:
First, where has Apple admitted this to date?
Second, why do you think it's right for the company to dictate how you use the products you buy?
Third, why is macOS treated differently?

And by the third question at the latest, it becomes clear how you are constantly lying to yourself.
Because Apple doesn't do it with macOS, because then no one would buy it anymore.
Because macOS is so insignificant that the company can't afford it. They don't have a monopoly to prevent users from choosing.

But there's only a choice between iOS and Android. A duopoly.

And you celebrate a company for taking away your freedoms. You even defend it by saying that it was everyone's free choice.
Just because Apple didn't force to buy an iPhone with a gun doesn't make it a free choice.
Or is it your free choice to die if a hospital monopoly won't treat you until you agree to a bill that you couldn't pay even if you had three lives?
That's the freedom Apple offers.

And you celebrate it. You defend the company as if it were your friend. As if it were a member of your family.
Newsflash: The company doesn't give a damn about you.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikusak Avatar
nikusak
19 weeks ago

It's not punishing the engine, it's making it as hard as possible for developers to use their own engine. It's textbook malicious compliance, and it allows them to keep the WebKit monopoly on iOS whilst claiming that they are complying.
Have you studied Apple’s BrowserEngineKit implementation in detail so that you can say that?

What specifically in it is badly / maliciously implemented which prevents anyone from implementing their own engine?

Also, are you aware that Google’s engine is, in practice, the only other engine in existence? This decision will cement Google’s dominance of web technology and future direction.

New engines will not magically appear, even when Apple eventually allows alternative engines globally on iOS. Implementing a modern engine is so huge undertaking that nobody will probably ever do it again.

Even Microsoft gave up and adopted Google’s engine.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ifxf Avatar
ifxf
19 weeks ago

most consumers and web developers do not want this. no thanks.
I want the flexibility and the additional protection offered by multiple browser engines.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments