@owa@mastodon.social

· 2mo ago

🎙️ Check out Bruce Lawson’s interview with Alex Moore, executive director and co-founder of Open Web Advocacy. They explore OWA’s history, why it exists, and what it’s fighting for: a better, more competitive web 🌐✊ https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/bruce-lawson-interviews-owa--for-a-better-web/

open-web-advocacy.org

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

"Apple’s claims for WebKit’s superior speed, privacy and security don’t stand up to scrutiny. It’s time for the regulators to strike down Apple’s restrictive terms and conditions, and compel Cupertino to fix BrowserEngineKit, so we can have genuine competition on iOS."

🧵👇️ (1/7)

brucelawson.co.uk

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Newly published tests show a Chromium/Blink engine running on iOS is 28.6% faster than Safari in Speedometer page responsiveness tests. 🏎️💨📱⚡️

This is a clear example of the costs Apple imposes on consumers and businesses worldwide, costs created by its 17-year ban on competing browser engines.

🧵👇️ (1/8)

Open Web Advocacy

28% Faster: The Blink Prototype That Shows Why Apple's iOS Browser Engine Ban Must End - Open Web Advocacy

Newly published tests show a Chromium/Blink prototype running on iOS is 28.6% faster than Safari in Speedometer 3.1 page responsiveness tests. The tests also…

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

Safari 28.6% slower than Chromium on iOS. This is the tax every single user on iOS has to pay as a result of the #AppleBrowserBan

https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/06/17/apples-webkit-performance-tax-leaves-ios-browsers-stuck-in-the-slow-lane-says-microsoft/5257384

theregister.com

Are we human?

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

We urge the Commission to investigate whether Apple’s browser engine rules comply with the DMA in practice, or whether they continue to prevent effective browser engine competition on iOS. 📖 Read: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/apples-browser-engine-ban-persists-even-under-the-dma/ 🧵(23/23)

Open Web Advocacy

Apple

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 3mo ago

“Microsoft engineers have published benchmark results showing that a Chromium-based browser using its own rendering engine scores 28.6% higher than Safari on Apple's own Speedometer 3.1 performance test on iOS”

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/17/webkit-rule-costs-ios-users-browser-performance/

MacRumors

Apple's WebKit Rules Reportedly Cost iOS Users Almost 30% Browser Performance

Microsoft engineers have published benchmark results showing that a Chromium-based browser using its own rendering engine scores 28.6% higher than Safari on Apple's own Speedometer 3.1 performance test on iOS. Kyle Pflug, group product manager for the Microsoft Edge Web Platform, published results on Monday comparing a research prototype of Edge built with Apple's BrowserEngineKit framework against Safari running iOS 26.5.1.

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Globally interoperable AirDrop between iOS and Android Read: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/the-eu-made-apple-adopt-new-wi-fi-standards-and-now-android-can-support-airdrop/ 🧵(21/23)

The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

Ars Technica

The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

Google's Pixel 10 works with AirDrop, and other phones should follow later.

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Password managers (Apple - Worldwide) Third-party password managers can now suggest strong passwords and allow the user to create a new password entry inline when they log into a new website/app, without going through a separate window. 🧵(14/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Browser data portability (Apple - Worldwide) Apple has implemented an OS-mediated and user-controlled mechanism that allows users to transfer browser data from one browser to another. 🧵(4/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

We recommend that regulators worldwide consider replicating the DMA’s successes in their own jurisdictions. Obligate the gatekeeper to publicly justify which security risks they are protecting users from and why they must keep functionality reserved for themselves. 🧵(22/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

More than two years have passed since March 7, 2024, when Apple became legally obligated under Article 5(7) of the DMA to allow third-party browser engines, yet not a single browser vendor has successfully ported their own engine to iOS in the EU. 📖 Read: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/apples-browser-engine-ban-persists-even-under-the-dma/ 🧵(2/23)

Open Web Advocacy

Apple

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

🌐 "As it did twenty-five years ago, the web can unlock maximum change with the lowest risk, but regulators are falling down on the job, and tech reporters are not informing readers of the options or the stakes."

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Background execution (Apple - Worldwide) In iOS 26, Apple released an update to make sure that Bluetooth accessories continue working as intended when the user quits the companion app of their connected device, or when the connected device returns within range after being disconnected. 🧵(13/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Interoperability Requests (Apple, Google, Microsoft - EU Only) Apple, Google and Microsoft now each provide a mechanism for developers to request access to functionality under Article 6(7) of the DMA. 🧵(5/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Memory allowance (Apple - Worldwide) Apple increased the amount of memory that developers can use. Previously the limit was 15 MB but Apple’s apps could use up to 200 MB (and 250 MB on some devices). Apple now globally provides the same memory limits to third parties. 🧵(16/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Automatic audio switching (Apple - Pending) Allows users to automatically switch the audio source from one device to another, e.g. from a smartphone to a computer, when using supported wireless headphones. 🧵(8/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅High-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection (Apple - Worldwide) In iOS 26.0, Apple released the Wi-Fi Aware framework. Wi-Fi Aware is a modern and secure peer-to-peer Wi-Fi standard that allows communication with nearby devices without an internet connection. 🧵(11/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Notifications (Apple - EU Only) A user’s third-party connected devices will be able to receive and respond to notifications from that user’s iPhone. 🧵(6/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

However, the DMA is delivering real benefits to consumers including: ✅Full device data transfer and eSIM transfer (Apple, Google - Worldwide) Mechanisms to make it easier for users to transfer device data, and separately eSIMs, between iOS and Android. 🧵(3/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Features for close-range wireless file transfer solutions (Apple) Apple has released and updated relevant iOS frameworks, including AccessorySetupKit, Wi-Fi Aware and DeviceDiscoveryUI, to give developers access to iOS-controlled features used by AirDrop. This allows developers to build third-party file-transfer apps that can securely pair and connect nearby devices to exchange files. 🧵(12/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

Browsers need to compete on merit, not via privileged placement within an operating system. It is genuine competition between browsers that delivers the best outcomes for consumers and developers. This change is one more step in the right direction. 🧵(7/7)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Automatic Wi-Fi connection (Apple - EU Only) Allows connected devices to seamlessly join the Wi-Fi networks the iPhone is connected to, as currently possible on the Apple Watch. 🧵(9/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Proximity pairing (Apple - Pending) Allows third-party connected devices to pair with an iPhone through a simplified proximity-based procedure. 🧵(7/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅NFC Controller in Reader/Writer mode (Apple - EU Only) In iOS 26.0, Apple released the NFCPaymentTagReaderSession class, which enables a number of new payment-related use cases on iPhones. 🧵(10/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Alarm apps (Apple - Worldwide) Third-party alarm apps are now able to play an alarm at a specified time or when the device is muted. 🧵(15/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

🎯 "Regulators facing choices about where to invest scarce resources should foreground browser engine choice and web apps because they create mass behind their agenda and bring a powerful, pre-existing ecosystem to bear."

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

🧱 "By failing to acknowledge the power of the web to disrupt entrenched OSes (as demonstrated by the past 20 years of desktop computing), the press are failing to communicate the stakes of regulatory failure to enable browser competition."

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

⚠️ "Open, interoperable, safe-by-default runtimes with standardised APIs threaten the foundations of this structure by breaking the duopolist's chokehold over software distribution. Browsers, and their core function of abstracting away the proprietary APIs of OS vendors, create a tax-free zone outside the grasp of the OS incumbents' mafioso App Store tactics."

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅App interactions and screen automation (Google - Proposed) These proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can interact with applications and execute tasks at the user’s request, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. 🧵(20/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Call spam protection (Apple - Worldwide) In iOS 18, Apple released an API that allows developers to provide caller ID and call-blocking services from a server that the developer maintains. 🧵(17/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Wake words (Google - Proposed) These proposed measures would allow third-party AI apps to wake and be invoked on certain phrases. This will allow developers to make an equivalent to “Hey Google” on Android. 🧵(18/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 4mo ago

Replying to

✅Access points with contextual data (Google - Proposed) These proposed measures include allowing third-party apps and services to be invoked via the system-wide access points, such as long press on the home button. 🧵(19/23)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

📚 Read the full article: https://infrequently.org/2026/04/the-web-is-an-antitrust-wedge/

Infrequently Noted

The Web Is An Antitrust Wedge - Infrequently Noted

Armed with new powers to rein in the worst excesses of mobile's duopolists, regulators around the world are struggling to find their footing. The UK's CMA is only the latest to pose capitulation as success. Far from unlocking growth and dynamism, regulatory timidity is reducing enforcers' future room for manoeuvre and hampering home-grown competitors to Big Tech. Unleashing the web would fix a great deal of what's broken, but regulators are falling down on the job. It's time we spoke plainly abo

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

The CMA has the opportunity to fix these issues with the DMCCA but they must actually use and enforce the powers they have been given. 🧵(12/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Read the full paper: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/our-submission-to-the-cma-on-apples-ios-interoperability-commitments/ 🧵(13/13)

Open Web Advocacy

Our Submission to the CMA on Apple’s iOS Interoperability Commitments - Open Web Advocacy

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has stated that developers need access to key iOS and iPadOS features to build innovative products and…

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Interoperability is one of the reasons that the DMCCA itself was passed: 🧵(6/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

This was then highlighted in the explanatory notes to the Act: 🧵(8/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

This is important as the UK’s Browsers and Cloud Gaming MIR found that Apple was providing Safari with better and more immediate API access: 🧵(10/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

There is no transparency into individual requests unlike the far more effective approach taken by the Digital Markets Act. 🧵(4/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

The DOJ has also accused Apple of suppressing innovation by withholding APIs: 🧵(11/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

That the Act can promote interoperability was directly highlighted in parliament: 🧵(7/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

The commitment is entirely voluntary: 🧵(3/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

The government steer to the CMA indicated that competition and consumer protection is the key to growth and innovation in the UK: 🧵(5/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Finally, incorporated into the Act itself: 🧵(9/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Apple can reject any interoperability request: 🧵(2/13)

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Open Web Advocacy @owa@mastodon.social

· 7mo ago

Replying to

@wilhelm @EUCommission So it's mandatory where the EU choice screen appears... which has a list of conditions.. it needs to be where Google or Apple (the gatekeepers) have preinstalled their browser and set it as default. Is chrome currently the default on all XiaoMi phones in the EU? Google has legal agreements with the device manufacturers called MADA, and via this the EU has the ability to impose conditions. Thanks for your comment re: directors cut, we had fun splicing them together

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