4 ms·

Are you saying a native app can't make an http request and update the code they JIT?

jshmrsn 22d ago
Precisely. That has always been prohibited both by technical measures and by the App Store review guidelines. Especially on Apple, but also on Google Play / Android as well.
whstl 22d ago
It can download Javascript (or other interpreted language, or config data), but you generally can't download and execute new compiled native code on iOS, due to iOS code-signing/executable-memory restrictions. Also keep in mind Apple might penalize you for dodging the review process and shipping new features, etc. (btw, one exception to the JIT rule is custom browsers for the EU)
- mohamedkoubaa 22d ago
  Pardon my ignorance but can't an iOS app host a WASM runtime without being a browser? And if so it doesn't need to be an interpreted language necessarily.
  - sebmellen 22d ago
    Yeah, but to my understanding that’s not what Shopify is doing.
  - svieira 22d ago
    Yes, it could, but then you would have re-invented React Native. But in WASM.
  - apitman 22d ago
    I am fairly certain this is against Apple's policies. In principle you're not supposed to change the functionality of your app without review.
    - cute_boi 22d ago
      i don't see any difference between wasm and js? If react native apps can be updated with js, wasm should be allowed.
      - apitman 22d ago
        I think updating js without review is also against policy.
        whstl 22d ago
        It's a grey area. App Review Guidelines §2.5.2 says: "Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps" Technically Apple can punish you for anything but so far it seems to be accepted for small fixes and tweaks.
        myko 22d ago
        Doesn't seem like a grey area at all, pretty clear it is against the policy. Just a ridiculous policy and hard to enforce.
        whstl 19d ago
        It’s not a grey area for features. It’s a grey area for other parts of the code that are not mentioned in the text.
        whstl 19d ago
        It’s not a grey area for features. It’s grey for other parts of the code that are not mentioned in the text.
  - spiderice 22d ago
    Could you reinvent OTA updates in another non-native language? Of course. But then you still wouldn't have a native app. You'd just be doing React Native but worse.
    - mohamedkoubaa 21d ago
      My point is that it isn't that RN "removes one of the biggest annoyances of developing for the App Store", it's that a specific technical feature of RN does that, and it's not only available to RN
kccqzy 22d ago
Doing so would require the app to have the business logic written in JavaScript. Apple only allows JIT’ing JavaScript using JSC.
- mohamedkoubaa 22d ago
  This seems to be a weaker claim than "RN is needed to do this", but practically speaking it might amount to that.
  - kccqzy 22d ago
    Sure you can choose not to adopt React’s reactive paradigm and manage state directly but using JavaScript. My understanding was that in RN, JavaScript code manipulates C++ objects in the C++ part of RN, which then calls host platform code to create views and render.

Precisely. That has always been prohibited both by technical measures and by the App Store review guidelines. Especially on Apple, but also on Google Play / Android as well.

whstl 22d ago

It can download Javascript (or other interpreted language, or config data), but you generally can't download and execute new compiled native code on iOS, due to iOS code-signing/executable-memory restrictions. Also keep in mind Apple might penalize you for dodging the review process and shipping new features, etc. (btw, one exception to the JIT rule is custom browsers for the EU)

mohamedkoubaa 22d ago
Pardon my ignorance but can't an iOS app host a WASM runtime without being a browser? And if so it doesn't need to be an interpreted language necessarily.
- sebmellen 22d ago
  Yeah, but to my understanding that’s not what Shopify is doing.
- svieira 22d ago
  Yes, it could, but then you would have re-invented React Native. But in WASM.
- apitman 22d ago
  I am fairly certain this is against Apple's policies. In principle you're not supposed to change the functionality of your app without review.
  - cute_boi 22d ago
    i don't see any difference between wasm and js? If react native apps can be updated with js, wasm should be allowed.
    - apitman 22d ago
      I think updating js without review is also against policy.
      - whstl 22d ago
        It's a grey area. App Review Guidelines §2.5.2 says: "Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps" Technically Apple can punish you for anything but so far it seems to be accepted for small fixes and tweaks.
        myko 22d ago
        Doesn't seem like a grey area at all, pretty clear it is against the policy. Just a ridiculous policy and hard to enforce.
        whstl 19d ago
        It’s not a grey area for features. It’s a grey area for other parts of the code that are not mentioned in the text.
        whstl 19d ago
        It’s not a grey area for features. It’s grey for other parts of the code that are not mentioned in the text.
- spiderice 22d ago
  Could you reinvent OTA updates in another non-native language? Of course. But then you still wouldn't have a native app. You'd just be doing React Native but worse.
  - mohamedkoubaa 21d ago
    My point is that it isn't that RN "removes one of the biggest annoyances of developing for the App Store", it's that a specific technical feature of RN does that, and it's not only available to RN

kccqzy 22d ago

Doing so would require the app to have the business logic written in JavaScript. Apple only allows JIT’ing JavaScript using JSC.

mohamedkoubaa 22d ago
This seems to be a weaker claim than "RN is needed to do this", but practically speaking it might amount to that.
- kccqzy 22d ago
  Sure you can choose not to adopt React’s reactive paradigm and manage state directly but using JavaScript. My understanding was that in RN, JavaScript code manipulates C++ objects in the C++ part of RN, which then calls host platform code to create views and render.