by SethMLarson on 1/19/24, 9:41 PM with 111 comments
by nox101 on 1/20/24, 3:27 AM
I have a related problem which is apps that launch their own web view as a builtin web browser when you click a link in the app. This lets them spy on any web activity that you do while in that embedded web view.
I think I wish that both the Android Play Store and the iOS App Store required apps to launch the user's browser for all 3rd party websites. To do this, they'd have apps categorize themselves as "web browser" or "not web browser".
For a "not web browser", the app would have to make a short list of domains (5? 10?) that it's allowed to talk to. Any others would be blocked by the OS.
For a "web browser" the app could contact any domain.
I don't know what legalize like language they'd use to define "Web browser" but apps like Facebook, FB Messenger, Google Maps, and others who's primary use is not "Browsing the web" could be clearly in the "not web browser" category.
There's multiple reasons I want this.
1. Apps with embedded web views can spy on all network activity and web view activity. By preventing apps from having embedded browsers that problem is solved.
2. Passwords, addresses, other things are synced in my browser profile. Every time some app launches an embedded browser I get none of that
3. Bookmarks are synced in my browser profile. Any sites I view in an embedded browser I can't bookmark
4. History is synced in my browser profile. Any sites I view in an embedded browser don't show up in my history
One other feature I might require if I was ruler of the world is that these apps that launch links be required to support a context menu for "open in private browser window"
by runlevel1 on 1/20/24, 2:42 AM
Mozilla is justified in challenging it, but I don't know if they want to go pulling that thread.
Safari's monopoly on iOS devices is the only reason a sizable number of developers care about non-Chrome support. Currently, they have to. If the message to users becomes "broken feature is not broken on Chrome" we're on the road to monopolyville. And then Google really doesn't need consensus when it creates new web standards.
The status quo is all sorts of messed up, but it could be worse. Hopefully I'm wrong about this.
by KTibow on 1/20/24, 5:02 AM
by madeofpalk on 1/20/24, 11:28 AM
> JIT Support on iOS
This has been such an under-commented on factor of the whole "EU is going to force third-party rendering engines on iOS!" bit. Would Apple allow apps to support JIT? A new entitlement browser developers must apply for? It'll be interesting :)
I doubt it.
by dang on 1/20/24, 1:37 AM
(via https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059255, but no comments there)
by sneak on 1/20/24, 1:23 AM
by BitPirate on 1/20/24, 11:16 AM
This behaviour seems to be erratic and only affects a few websites, such as https://forum.syncthing.net.
Closing the tab or using a different one doesn't solve the problem. I need to force close the app to fix this.
by jwells89 on 1/20/24, 1:35 AM
As for extensions on iOS, Orion has the capability to install extensions from both the Chrome and Firefox extension galleries which would suggest this either isn’t actually a problem or slipped past App Review and has somehow remained available for years.
by lamontcg on 1/20/24, 3:22 AM
by shadowgovt on 1/20/24, 2:01 AM
As a user, why the hell do I want third party applications to be able to access my browser's history, bookmarked sites, and cookies?
That's an obvious privacy leak!
Firefox can have that data when it's generated by Firefox while I'm using Firefox and not in other contexts.
by deanCommie on 1/22/24, 10:53 PM
The fact that somehow this doesn't apply to "searches from the start menu" is a joke.
by ijhuygft776 on 1/20/24, 12:20 PM
by silon42 on 1/20/24, 1:41 PM
by pmontra on 1/20/24, 7:48 AM
Correct but I don't notice that because I search by opening Firefox and typing the search query there. It's an icon tap anyway. I don't use the search widget on the home screen, I removed it.
by Havoc on 1/20/24, 9:30 AM