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ehhhh kind of, what's a browser without a rendering engine? just a fancy bookmark manager?


Most browsers don’t have a rendering engine unique to them. Apple made that a policy for iPhones and its derivatives, but a browser is more than its rendering engine.


My point still stands though, I want to use an alternative browser engine like I do on every other computer... but Apple doesn't allow it


So do I, but that doesn’t negate my original point: for almost every category of App that comes on a stock iPhone, you can replace it with a 3rd party alternative.

The exceptions are: SMS, Settings, and the Phone app for the numbers tied to your SIMs (there’s still a billion VoIP options including extra lines from carriers like T-Mobile’s Digits) and probably a couple others I’m forgetting. I think the Clock app has a couple of privileges not available to 3rd parties actually.

You can use a 3rd party browser, but that browser will use the version of WebKit that comes with the operating system (except soon, in the EU, whenever 3rd party browsers with their own rendering engines ship there).


"almost every" is the problem:

* no alternative browser engines

* no alternative wallet apps

* no alternative app stores (specifically so Apple can capture a % of sales)

* no software streaming

* no super apps

* Apple-only special SMS features

* Apple hardware (watches) get special access to iPhone hardware

that stuff adds up




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