Apple's new EU rules mean browsers like Firefox can finally use their own engines on iOS. While this seems like a welcome change, Mozilla spokesperson Damiano DeMonte said they were "extremely disappointed" with how things turned out.
"We are still reviewing the technical details, but are very disappointed with Apple's proposed plan to use the newly announced BrowserEngineKit restrictions for EU-specific applications," Dement said. "The effect of this would be to force standalone browsers like Firefox to build and maintain two separate browser implementations - a burden that Apple itself will not have to bear."
In iOS 17.4, Apple will no longer force browsers in EU countries to use WebKit, the underlying engine of Safari. This change opens the door to other popular engines, such as the Blink engine used by Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers, and the Gecko engine used by Firefox browsers. This also means that third-party browsers can run fully on iOS without any limitations from WebKit.
Still, Mozilla believes that rolling out the changes only in the EU will make it harder for the browser to juggle different versions. DeMonte added: "Apple's proposal fails to provide consumers with a viable option and makes it as painful as possible for other companies to offer competing alternatives to Safari. This is yet another example of Apple erecting barriers to prevent true browser competition on iOS."
Mozilla isn't the only developer to criticize Apple's new rules, which also cover game streaming apps, alternative app stores and sideloading. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the new terms a "horror show," while Spotify said the changes were a "farce." Apple's guidelines still need to be approved by the European Commission.