This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page
Apple is working on bringing web-based notifications to iOS, addressing a long-time concern of developers of web-based apps who have been unable to send notifications to users on Apple mobile devices, severely limiting the user experience and effectiveness of apps made on the web.
With the first betas of iOS and iPadOS 15.4 released last week, Apple added a “Push API” toggle in the Experimental settings page for Safari, as spotted and explained by developer Maximiliano Firtman. As noted by Maximiliano, while the toggle is visible, the API itself is not yet enabled, and Apple has yet to implement a UI prompt into Safari on iOS to ask users for permission to display web-based notifications.
Unlike on macOS where web-based notifications are common, only apps downloaded through Apple’s App Store can send notifications on iOS. With the inclusion of the “Push API” toggle in iOS 15.4, Apple is seemingly laying the groundwork for bringing web-based notifications to its mobile devices.
Web-based applications are designed entirely on the web, accessible through any browser with a URL. Web-based apps are not new, but the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit has brought the experience of web-based apps on iOS and iPadOS into the spotlight. A key cornerstone of Epic’s argument against Apple’s control of the App Store and iOS ecosystem is the lack of choices for users on where to download apps.
In a submission to the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) in February of last year, Apple rebuffed Epic’s claim that iOS users are limited in options for where to download apps. Specifically, Apple said that “the whole web is available to them,” and iOS and iPadOS users have “unrestricted and uncontrolled access” to web-based apps.
“Web browsers are used not only as a distribution portal, but also as platforms themselves, hosting “progressive web applications” (PWAs) that eliminate the need to download a developer’s app through the
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Read the original article: iOS 15.4 Beta Suggests Apple to Support Push Notifications From Web-Based Apps