Apple Weighs Letting Users Switch Default iPhone Apps To Rivals (bloomberg.com) 39
Apple is considering giving rival apps more prominence on iPhones and iPads and opening its HomePod speaker to third-party music services after criticism the company provides an unfair advantage to its in-house products. From a report: The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple's mobile devices, replacing the company's Safari browser and Mail app, according to people familiar with the matter. Since launching the App Store in 2008, Apple hasn't allowed users to replace pre-installed apps such as these with third-party services. That has made it difficult for some developers to compete, and has raised concerns from lawmakers probing potential antitrust violations in the technology industry.
The web browser and mail are two of the most-used apps on the iPhone and iPad. To date, rival browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox and mail apps like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook have lacked the status of Apple's products. For instance, if a user clicks a web link sent to them on an iPhone, it will automatically open in Safari. Similarly, if a user taps an email address -- say, from a text message or a website -- they'll be sent to the Apple Mail app with no option to switch to another email program. The Cupertino, California-based company also is considering loosening restrictions on third-party music apps, including its top streaming rival Spotify, on HomePods, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal company deliberations.
The web browser and mail are two of the most-used apps on the iPhone and iPad. To date, rival browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox and mail apps like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook have lacked the status of Apple's products. For instance, if a user clicks a web link sent to them on an iPhone, it will automatically open in Safari. Similarly, if a user taps an email address -- say, from a text message or a website -- they'll be sent to the Apple Mail app with no option to switch to another email program. The Cupertino, California-based company also is considering loosening restrictions on third-party music apps, including its top streaming rival Spotify, on HomePods, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal company deliberations.
All iOS/iPad browsers are Safari anyway (Score:2)
Re:All iOS/iPad browsers are Safari anyway (Score:4, Interesting)
I haven't kept up, but I think they still have to use their own Javascript engines, and as some point, those were crippled compared to Safari's.
Re: All iOS/iPad browsers are Safari anyway (Score:2)
Worthless if you cant actually implement a browser (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Nearly all browsers except Firefox are now Webkit-based. As far as the user is concerned a browser isn't defined by the rendering engine but by its features and UI.
Re: (Score:3)
Even with webkit based browsers. The differences on release schedules means your level of rendering will differ.
using html5test.com [html5test.com]
Safari on my iPhone gets a scope of 491 out of 555 points.
Google Chrome on my PC is getting 533 Points
Firefox on my PC is getting 513 Points
Edge (Pre Chrome) is getting 489 points.
IE 11 is getting 312 points
Google may be more bullish in pushing the newer version of webkit over safari, so new features may be released with the sacrifice of them working as well.
But as a consumer, I
Re: (Score:2)
Honest question: do these sorts of scores still matter for everyday usage? 10-20 years ago, absolutely, these sorts of tests were useful. A low Acid3, Sunspider, etc. score was a strong indication that a normal user would see significant improvements to their browsing experience if they switched to a higher-scoring browser. Is that still true today?
Performance across browsers is within a stone's throw of each other. They're all good enough. CSS, Javascript, and HTML5? None are perfect, but all are good enou
Is platform security worthless? (Score:3)
Given what a HUGE vector browsers are for attacks in traditional computers, on a mobile device you need to either make a browser core that is very secure but also performs well, or allow other browser engines but none of them can have deep OS hooks...
What good is it having "real" Chrome if your performance sucks?
I don't think it's a good idea to cast away security that is the last line of defense for billions of non-technical users, in the name of slightly different browser rendering.
Re: (Score:2)
Not completely worthless. For some reason Safari is broken on my iphone. Many times a website will show up as blank but the same website works fine in both chrome and firefox on my same iphone.
Re: Worthless if you cant actually implement a bro (Score:2)
Unfortunately, that removes the control that Apple has over Browser security immediately goes out the window.
That is a significant trade-off on a phone
Wow (Score:1)
That would be so generous of Apple! I'm not even sure we're truly worthy of such favors.
Re: (Score:1)
Indeed, their benevolence is heartwarming; it makes me want to liquidate all my assets and buy a small box of Apple products.
Do it (Score:3)
I would like to replace my wife's default SMS app to Signal.
Can do it on Android, not on iOS.
Re: Do it (Score:4, Insightful)
Why?
Re: (Score:3)
Remember, Android defaults to SMS, because it doesn't have an integrated end-to-end encrypted messaging service like iMessage.
Re: (Score:2)
Security.
Flash (Score:3, Interesting)
If I recall correctly the main reason for disallowing third-party browsers as the default in the early days was so that Adobe Flash couldn't take a foothold on the platform and bypass Security and Apple's revenue stream that derives from people developing apps in XCode. Flash is dead and Safari/Webkit has stagnated quite a bit compared to Blink & Gecko.
Re: (Score:2)
The early iPhone, didn't have support for Apps in general. The big push at the time was HTML5 over Flash. As Apple stated it didn't think Adobe could make flash work well for the iOS platform.
However I expect Apple especially at the time of the iPhone release were afraid of making the same mistakes it did with Mac OS, which allowed Microsoft to come in copy their stuff and migrate a lot of people to Windows. Keeping the platform so locked down to Apple Only prevented many Gate Way plugins and Apps to move
You can partially already (Score:2)
Most third-party software will give you options to open things in other third-party software. If you're in Chrome and click an e-mail link, it can open GMail. If you're in GMail and click a web link, it can open Chrome. If you've fully replaced all the Apple iOS apps with alternatives, most of the time it isn't an issue. It only becomes an issue if you're clicking e-mail and web links in random other software such that the OS tries to handle that link.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, I gave up using Apple's Safari or Mail apps long ago for this reason.
Antitrust.... (Score:2)
Re: Antitrust.... (Score:2)
The general rule is that you canâ(TM)t leverage a monopoly in one industry to gain a monopoly in another.
Apple lacked the market share in the past to be considered a monopoly, so they (like other small players) were not required to open their platforms.
Mobile is now effectively a duopoly, and Google runs an open-ish platform (with APK sideloading). That puts Apple in the crosshairs for regulation.
Re: Antitrust.... (Score:2)
Paid email clients and web browsers is hardly much of an industry.
weighs?? (Score:2)
All this stuff should be more open .... (Score:2)
I get that Apple was trying for a lot more of a controlled and unified experience with iOS vs. what you might have on a Mac with OS X. I mean, that's why iOS was built rather than just shoehorning OS X to fit a smaller display and making it the OS for iPads and iPhones, right?
But especially as things have evolved so iPads are "laptop replacements" for a segment of users, and iPhones have been exponentially more powerful than they used to be? iOS need to adapt too! I see no valid argument NOT to allow iOS
Apple appliance use case as platforms (Score:2)
Apple appears to be leveraging its appliance subscription devices into the platform space where infrastructure, performance and interoperability demands are higher commanding higher prices for its devices.
"secure" but useless (Score:1)
I used countless Androids then my iOS phone as an experiment for several years. Pluses, builtin security and a sense for encryption. Didn't feel Apple pre-loaded tracking apps (well, beyond the opt-in ones) and/or would share my data willy nilly between apps. Cons: Everything Apple did. OS was surprisingly less stable than Android (app crashes). Siri (and voice recognition) sucks and Apple maps is a joke. Couldn't default to another app for any system functions (maps, messaging, anything). Most of i
Re: "secure" but useless (Score:2)
I havenâ(TM)t had an App crash in about 3 or 4 years.
And App crashes are generally the fault of the App Developer; not the OS.
Re: (Score:1)
While I agree with that in theory, in practice the experience was less reliable than I would have liked, and hasn't been the case with similar/same apps in Android. Glad it works for you though, enjoy.
Add my stability experiences to the list of other problems and they definitely lost me as a customer. If maybe they get a clue, open up the app and Siri and everything else ecosystem (and pigs fly?) I'll happily reconsider. Not expecting that to happen anytime soon though...
Re: (Score:2)
I can't remember ever having had an app crash on my iDevices. Maps is not a joke anymore: it's very well usable for navigation and I use it a lot. Not being able to default to another app sucks though, as does not being able to use data with more than one program. But the better security and the quality of the hardware and the very long time Apple supports it makes me happy and I will never buy Android.
Firefox (Score:2)
Using Firefox on my iPhone...it lets me select Outlook as the email clients in which to open email links...
Re: (Score:2)
I also use FF on all my Apple computers. It lets me sync its bookmarks and settings properly. That's a BIG plus.
SubjectIsSubject (Score:2)
Default phone to Android (Score:1)
Apple wouldn't let me change my default apps, so I change my default phone to Android.