Pavel Durov Criticises Apple Again.
Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the telegram app, has again criticised Apple for restricting certain features of Telegram’s web app. He used his public channel in the app to fire fresh salvos on Apple.
According to Pavel, many web developers are complaining about how safari is killing the web because of its limitations.
Pavel also quoted an article published by telegram web developers about how an un-updated safari is a roadblock for web development.
In the article, web developers pointed out that the unavailability of push notifications, issues with the text field, context menu problems and automatic reloading of pages are drawbacks of Safari Mobile.
The lack of features such as VP8 and VP9 codecs, and visual artefacts are also limiting web development in Safari.
According to web developers, Apple is deliberately preventing safari from being a modern browser. Users not satisfied with the web app will download native apps from App Store. Any download from App Store will result in Apple getting a commission of 30% from the app developer.
Apple only allows app developers to use Apple’s WebKit for web implementation of the apps. App developers are not allowed to make use of other web engines for apps.
An investigation against Apple in the UK
A few days ago, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom started consultations to launch an investigation into Apple and Google’s market power in mobile browsers. The restriction of cloud gaming on the App Store is also reported to be under the purview of investigation.
According to CMA, a year-long study has found out how Apple and Google have unimpeded control of the mobile ecosystem. The study found out that Apple bans any alternative search engine systems other than its own by effectively creating a monopoly.
The study conducted by CMA suggests that 97% of all mobile web browsing in the UK in 2021 happens on browsers powered by either Apple’s or Google’s browser engine. Having Chrome or Safari pre-installed on mobile phones is also an undue advantage over other search engines.
CMA also reported that the actions of Apple have crippled a few features of web apps.
The United Kingdom is planning to conduct additional anti-trust investigations on Apple’s conduct.
