Apple has announced that it will no longer support Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on its devices in Europe. This decision was made in conjunction with the entry into force of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires companies to use their own web engines for browsers other than the standard WebKit.

PWAs are websites that can be added to a smartphone’s home screen and run as native apps using the camera, microphone, location, and notification features. Apple has previously used its own WebKit engine to run PWAs, citing its high level of security and privacy.

However, DMA requires users to be able to use other browser engines such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Apple said this poses security risks to users’ data and personal information because potentially malicious PWAs can access them without permission. The company also believes that the new architecture technology to integrate PWA with other engines is not justified due to the low demand for this feature.

As a result, Apple has decided to completely disable PWAs in Europe starting with iOS 17.4. iPhone users in the EU will no longer be able to set web apps to the home screen. PWAs open in a regular browser, not a separate window, and have no access to local storage or messages.

Apple says the change will only affect a “small number of users” and regrets that it will affect web app developers and users. The company also underlines that it continues to support web standards and innovations in web technology.