According to reports, Google Chromium developers are working on an experimental web browser for iOS that will circumvent the limitations of Apple’s browser. Record. The experimental browser, which developers are actively developing, uses Google’s Blink engine. But if Google tried to release it to the App Store, it wouldn’t have passed Apple’s app review process.

Apple’s ‌App Store‌ rules require browser apps on iOS and iPadOS to use the native WebKit browser engine. This means that while browsers like Chrome and Microsoft Edge are built on Chromium for macOS and Windows, their iOS counterparts are forced to use Apple’s WebKit and have to behave like Safari.

Judging by the visible commits of code, the app looks like the beginning of creating an alternative browser, and some key features are still missing at this early stage. Google says the app is just an “experimental prototype” […] To understand certain aspects of performance on iOS” and “not available to users, we will continue to follow Apple’s policy.”

Even so, Google’s experimental project for an iOS browser could be a sign that the company expects a change in the rules of Apple’s platform that would allow it to release an actual home browser. Apple’s browser engine restrictions have most recently come under increasing antitrust scrutiny by the Biden administration, which has proposed new laws to prevent watchdog companies like Apple from banning alternative browser engines from its platform.

Similar suggestions were made by the anti-monopoly officials of Britain, Australia and Japan. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act is expected to force Apple to allow third-party app stores and lift browser restrictions early next year. At least an active project means that if it can be deployed in the future, Google will have a significant advantage in developing a Blink-based browser for iOS.