Following the release of the second beta version of iOS 17.4, it emerged that Apple had restricted the functionality of iOS web apps in the EU. Web apps could no longer launch from the Home Screen in their own top-level window that takes up the entire screen, relegating them to a simple shortcut with an option to open within Safari instead.
The move was heavily criticized by groups like Open Web Advocacy, which started a petition in an effort to persuade Apple to reverse the change, and it even caught the attention of the European Commission. Now, Apple has backtracked and says that Home Screen web apps that use WebKit in the EU will continue to function as expected upon the release of iOS 17.4.
Great news! Web apps represent the democratization of mobile apps, empowering independent developers free from the constraints of the App Stores
Eh, they’re good in that way, but there’s trade-offs too. Not every app needs to be always online, but web apps do.
It’s also nice to be able to control what version of an app I’m using. I’ve got a couple apps that won’t be updated any time soon because the new version changed or broke something, removed a function, or had a terrible redesign, etc.
No, they do not.