Telegram Founder Publicly Attacks Apple’s Safari Browser for iOS for Restrictions

Currently, there is an investigation by a UK agency into Apple and Safari. And, it looks like the UK isn’t the only one frowning when it comes to Apple’s web browser. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has now publicly criticized the iOS version of Safari, accusing it of restricting development options for the web.
Durov shared his criticism on his public channel on Telegram. He claims that Apple intentionally restricts the functionality of web apps and that this limits developers of what they can do in iOS. The restrictions that Apple currently imposes on web applications also have an impact on the web version of Telegram.
Additionally, he suspects that Apple’s reasoning behind this is to force users to download native apps from the App Store, and he points to the 30% commission Apple takes on purchases made through the App Store. . Many developers have had trouble with the infamous “Apple tax,” as that 30% reduction has been informally called.
Telegram is available in the App Store; however, all was not well for the company. In the past, Telegram reportedly had issues with Apple’s review process due to its public channels (where there are no content restrictions). Telegram has a web version with all the same features – but it’s also limited on iPads and iPhones.
“Safari is killing the web,” Durov points out, citing developers complaining about Apple’s native browser and a blog post on HTTP Toolkit, which lists several ways Safari isn’t helping the web. The blog post lists reasons such as Safari omitting features, numerous bugs present and the slowness with which these are fixed, and ignoring APIs offered by the Chrome team.
In addition to citing the article mentioned above, Durov also points out that Telegram developers have reported a list of 10 issues encountered with Safari on iOS. Among these are the lack of push notifications, random reloading, slow application of blur effects, and sometimes the appearance of visual artifacts. The post also includes a few additional development-related items that are missing from Safari’s toolkit.
The British investigation, which we mentioned at the beginning of this article, is also highlighted in Durov’s message. He hopes the investigation will lead to regulatory action against Apple Safari’s restrictions and loopholes.
The investigation he’s talking about is actually going to be led by the UK’s CMA, a watchdog who recently discovered that Apple and Google have an “effective duopoly” in the mobile tech market thanks to Safari and Chrome. . The agency will now put Safari’s WebKit restrictions under the microscope, to determine whether or not they harm competition and innovation.