Google and Mozilla don’t test iPhone browsers based on WebKit

There could be a big under-the-hood change coming to Chrome for iPhone.
Photo: Mac’s Ed Hardy / Cult

Google is tinkering with a version of its Chrome web browser for iPhone that doesn’t use the WebKit rendering engine. The same is true for Mozilla and Firefox browsers.

Releasing these is currently impossible due to Apple’s browser rules, but the iPhone maker may soon be forced to drop that restriction.

Chrome and Firefox browsers for iPhone may get a new rendering engine

Safari, Chrome, and Firefox each have fans, but many iPhone users may not know that all three web browsers use the same rendering engine. This means that their basic functionality is the same, with only secondary features to differentiate them.

The similarity isn’t because Google and Mozilla prefer Apple’s WebKit to Blink or Gecko. They don’t have a choice – an App Store rule states: “Web browsing apps must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit JavaScript.”

So it’s great news that Google’s Chromium developers are working on a version of Chrome based on the Blink rendering engine. as seen by registerThe project is “experimental only, not a launch bug for a shippable product.”

And Mozilla is experimenting again with its rendering engine register,

Governments may loosen Apple’s grip on the App Store

The rule requiring all iPhone apps that access the web to use WebKit has been in place for many years. But this may soon go away.

A recent report from the US Department of Commerce is very critical of the rule. It notes that because of the WebKit requirement for the iPhone, “browsers that users recognize elsewhere on Android and desktop computers do not have the same functionality they do on those other platforms.”

Governments around the world have already started pressuring big tech companies to make changes. The European Union requires Apple to remove the Lightning port from the iPhone and allow third-party apps to be sideloaded. Given the current regulatory environment, the days when WebKit may be the only option are gone.

If so, Google apparently wants to be ready with a Blink-based version of its browser for the iPhone. And Mozilla will surely have an updated version of Firefox soon as well.

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