A week after Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov approved Telegram Premium plans, he has once again criticized Apple’s approach to the Safari browser, saying it has stifled the efforts of web developers.
Durov stated that he very much wanted the web-based messaging platform Telegram Web to be offered as a web application rather than a native one, but due to limitations in the iOS Safari browser, it was prevented from offering users a full-fledged experience on Apple’s mobile devices.
Apple’s iPhone and iPad web developers have no option to use an alternative other than Safari, and some features that might have been overlooked on other platforms have yet to arrive on iOS. “We suspect that Apple may have deliberately weakened its web apps,” Durov says, to force users to download more native apps where Apple can take a 30 percent commission.
At the end of last week, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will closely examine the market strength of Apple and Google regarding mobile browsers. Depending on the findings of this investigation, some sanctions could potentially be imposed.
In April, Durov published a list of limitations in Safari, and some of them (like Push Notifications) seem to be fixed in the upcoming iOS 16. However, many other limitations will remain. As a result of these limitations, there is a need for a native app that effectively pushes developers towards Apple’s store, fees and policies.
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