It appears that Apple is for the first time considering making significant changes to iOS and the App Store as a result of intense pressure from the European Union and other governments around the world. The company intends to make even more iOS features, such as the browser engine and NFC, and access to third-party apps.
Apple has been working to make its private APIs—application programming interfaces—available to outside developers and applications. This would have a significant impact on how iOS functions.
One of the major limitations that may soon be eliminated has to do with browser engines. Currently, WebKit, Apple’s engine for running Safari, is a requirement for all iOS apps. However, Apple is already working to make iOS accessible to other browser engines in order to comply with the new Digital Markets Act in the European Union.
The report also states that additional private iOS APIs will eventually be made available to the public. The iPhone’s NFC chip and additional camera controls are accessible through this. Despite the fact that third-party applications can currently read NFC tags. Apple forbids them from functioning as a rival to Apple Pay. The EU has already criticized Apple for only allowing its own services to use the NFC technology in the iPhone.
Apple is reportedly considering further opening up the Find My network to third-party accessories in addition to these changes. Competitors like Tile assert that there are still numerous drawbacks when compared to Apple’s own accessories like AirTag. Despite the fact that third-party manufacturers can already make their accessories compatible with the Find My network.
