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> because a significant amount of users would prefer to install Chrome with Chrome’s rendering engine. I'm not convinced that users care about rendering engine

> because a significant amount of users would prefer to install Chrome with Chrome’s rendering engine. I'm not convinced that users care about rendering engines. Non-Safari (not non-webkit) browsers already enjoy a modicum of popularity on iOS due to offering different UI/features on top of the rendering engine.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
The biggest reason for running chrome on iOS is getting access to your Chrome password manager. I don't think web rendering engines are much of a concern, but I've never run into an issue that was web rendering related.
- dangus 3y ago
  I’m not talking about the end user caring about browsing engine, I’m really talking about the technology risks. If Apple allows Chrome based on Chromium, Google or other tech giants could basically pull a Microsoft in the 90s and make their websites not work on Safari. “Sorry, Office Online only works on Edge” or “Gmail for web only works on Chrome” would basically snuff out Safari. By forcing everyone to use the WebKit rendering engine, iOS is a giant lever that keeps Apple relevant and influential when it comes to steering web tech and standards.
dangus 3y ago
You’re right, the end users don’t care. That’s not the point. The point is that forcing all iOS devices to use the WebKit rendering engine prevents competitors from closing off the web to Apple technology. E.g., Google has to make sure its mobile sites work with WebKit because they can’t just tell their iOS users to download Chrome to make it work. Any website that works for Chrome on iOS will also work for Safari because they share the WebKit browsing engine. If Google could release a version of Chrome on iOS that used its own browsing engine they could basically leave their critically popular websites broken on Safari and tell their users to download Chrome to fix it. Somewhat tangential, they could also get around the Apple App Store by leveraging the Chrome Web Store and extensions as an alternative.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

The biggest reason for running chrome on iOS is getting access to your Chrome password manager. I don't think web rendering engines are much of a concern, but I've never run into an issue that was web rendering related.

dangus 3y ago
I’m not talking about the end user caring about browsing engine, I’m really talking about the technology risks. If Apple allows Chrome based on Chromium, Google or other tech giants could basically pull a Microsoft in the 90s and make their websites not work on Safari. “Sorry, Office Online only works on Edge” or “Gmail for web only works on Chrome” would basically snuff out Safari. By forcing everyone to use the WebKit rendering engine, iOS is a giant lever that keeps Apple relevant and influential when it comes to steering web tech and standards.

dangus 3y ago

You’re right, the end users don’t care. That’s not the point. The point is that forcing all iOS devices to use the WebKit rendering engine prevents competitors from closing off the web to Apple technology. E.g., Google has to make sure its mobile sites work with WebKit because they can’t just tell their iOS users to download Chrome to make it work. Any website that works for Chrome on iOS will also work for Safari because they share the WebKit browsing engine. If Google could release a version of Chrome on iOS that used its own browsing engine they could basically leave their critically popular websites broken on Safari and tell their users to download Chrome to fix it. Somewhat tangential, they could also get around the Apple App Store by leveraging the Chrome Web Store and extensions as an alternative.