Phoenix 24
A global regulatory shift that could dismantle iOS’s long-standing closed ecosystem.
Tokyo, August 2025 — Japan’s Digital Competition Office has set a new precedent: a regulatory mandate that will require Apple to allow browsers with their own rendering engines on iPhones, effectively breaking the WebKit monopoly. This directive is part of the country’s Smartphone Law and must be fully implemented by December 2025, with the stated goal of fostering a more competitive and open digital environment for Japanese users.
En Japón, iPhone no podrá obligar a otros buscadores a usar WebKit. (Apple)
At present, every browser available on iOS—including Chrome, Firefox, and Opera—runs on Apple’s WebKit engine, limiting both innovation and actual performance capabilities. The new regulation explicitly bans practices that hinder the use of alternative engines, including technical and financial barriers that Apple has allegedly used to preserve control. For digital rights experts, this represents a strategic restriction with deep consequences.
Japan now joins the European Union, which under its Digital Markets Act has demanded greater openness from iOS. Unlike in the EU—where Apple has been accused of “malicious compliance” through indirect hurdles—Japanese authorities have introduced specific legal language aimed at closing loopholes that could obstruct enforcement.
This international pressure aligns with years of advocacy from open internet groups such as Open Web Advocacy, which have consistently argued that WebKit exclusivity harms both competition and mobile browser innovation. Their technical research has informed legislative proposals in both Europe and Japan, providing critical evidence to policymakers.
For Apple, the legal and cultural implications are significant. In the United States, Safari generates billions in annual revenue through its search engine partnership with Google. Losing its technological gatekeeping could erode those profits, alter user habits, and require a fundamental redesign of the iOS browsing experience.
For users, the shift could be transformative. For the first time, they would be able to use browsers like Chrome or Firefox powered by their native engines, potentially improving website compatibility, enabling advanced features, and advancing open web standards. Yet, such openness also challenges Apple’s long-standing emphasis on privacy and security as core selling points.
Apple deberá permitir que los desarrolladores de otros navegadores usus sus motores de búsqueda. (NYT)
The real change will come in 2026, when the first non-WebKit browsers using Blink or Gecko engines debut on iOS. Japan’s approach—more detailed than that of the EU or the UK—could prove more effective in practice. Whether this results in genuine openness or a tactical adjustment by Apple to maintain WebKit as the dominant option will depend on how rigorously the regulation is enforced.
With this decision, the iPhone’s walled garden may finally develop cracks, allowing competition into an ecosystem that, until now, has been almost entirely impenetrable.
This piece was developed by the Phoenix24 editorial team using reliable sources, public data, and rigorous analysis in alignment with the current global context.