IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

iOS allows alternative browser engines in Japan

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Apple's Anti-Competitive Practices Protect App Store Revenue

Users argue Apple hobbles Safari (e.g., missing APIs like Web Bluetooth) to force native apps and extract 30% fees, citing DOJ lawsuit.
"The reason Apple doesn't allow any other browser engines on iOS is due to them collecting up to 30% of purchases made through the apps from the app store." (leptons)
"Apple purposely won't implement some APIs so they can force developers to create an app for their app store where they can collect money." (leptons)

2. Risk of Blink/Chromium Monoculture on iOS

Allowing alternatives will entrench Blink dominance, harming web diversity like IE6 era.
"enforced naively, all it’ll do is entrench the dominant browser engine, Blink, even more across the mobile ecosystem." (signal11)
"Safari (particularly mobile Safari) is literally the only thing keeping the web from becoming Chrome-only." (ryandrake)

3. Onerous Requirements Enable Malicious Compliance

Apple's rules (e.g., memory safety, separate binaries) hinder real competition despite laws.
"Apple is going to (mostly) obey the letter of the law but they will continue to resist strongly... Onerous requirements, arbitrary restrictions." (modeless)
"the full context of the list is indeed an extremely loud and clear 'FUCK YOU, WE OWN YOU' to regulators." (concinds)

🚀 Project Ideas

WebBluetooth Bridge for iOS

Summary

  • [Provides a Web Bluetooth compatibility layer for iOS Safari by bridging to a native companion app.]
  • [Enables developers to use Bluetooth in their web apps on iOS without writing a full native app or being blocked by Safari's missing APIs.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Web developers with IoT/Bluetooth hardware products who refuse to pay Apple's App Store tax.
Core Feature A lightweight native app (or Safari Extension) that listens for specific web app requests and proxies Bluetooth LE connections locally.
Tech Stack Swift (iOS), JavaScript (Web App).
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: One-time purchase or optional "Pro" subscription for high-volume proxying.

Notes

  • [Directly solves the pain point mentioned by user leptons: "my company has a product that could use Bluetooth, but Safari will never implement the Web Bluetooth API... we use Wifi, where we can maintain one single codebase... If Apple allowed Chrome... we would simply tell users to install Chrome."]
  • [Offers a practical workaround until alternative browser engines are truly available, leveraging local network communication to bypass Safari's limitations.]
  • [Avoids the App Store tax by decoupling the hardware interaction layer from the web app logic, allowing the web app to remain a PWA while the "bridge" app handles the hardware.]

iOS WebKit Auditor

Summary

  • [A developer tool that audits a website for compatibility with Safari's specific constraints and "Safer CPP" guidelines.]
  • [Identifies features that will fail on iOS and suggests fallbacks or native app alternatives.]

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Web developers and product managers deciding whether to build a PWA or a native app.
Core Feature Static analysis and runtime emulation to flag missing APIs (Web Bluetooth, Web USB) and performance bottlenecks unique to WebKit on iOS.
Tech Stack Node.js, Puppeteer, Custom Linter.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby: Open source tool.

Notes

  • [Addresses the technical friction of developing for the "Safari-only" ecosystem on iOS.]
  • [Helps developers quantify the cost of Apple's restrictions (e.g., "Your app loses 30% battery efficiency using WiFi instead of Bluetooth").]
  • [Practical utility for validating compliance with Apple's strict requirements (like memory safety) before attempting to ship an alternative engine.]

App Store Tax Calculator & Justifier

Summary

  • [A web-based calculator that compares the projected revenue loss from Apple's 30% fee versus the engineering cost of building a PWA/WebView alternative.]
  • [Helps developers make data-driven decisions on whether to build a native app or stick to the web.]
Key Value
Target Audience Startup founders and indie developers considering iOS app development.
Core Feature Input revenue projections, transaction volume, and dev costs; outputs a comparison of "Net Profit with App Store" vs. "Net Profit with Web App + Paid Safari Extension."
Tech Stack React/Vue, Simple Math Logic.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: Affiliate links to alternative monetization platforms (e.g., Patreon, Stripe) or a "Pro" tier with advanced financial modeling.

Notes

  • [Highlights the economic argument made by leptons and the DOJ lawsuit: "Apple purposely hobbles Safari... forcing developers to create an app, where Apple can then cut into purchases."]
  • [Provides concrete numbers to justify the "workaround" of using inferior WiFi connections to avoid the App Store tax.]
  • [Utility lies in evangelizing the business case for web apps, potentially driving more developers to push for open web standards.]

Cross-Platform Web Engine Test Runner

Summary

  • [A CI/CD service that runs automated tests against WebKit, Blink, and Gecko engines on actual iOS hardware (via a device farm).]
  • [Solves the "macOS only" problem of testing Safari by offering remote testing capabilities.]
Key Value
Target Audience QA teams and web developers who do not own Apple hardware but need to support iOS users.
Core Feature Automated regression testing for visual diffs and API compatibility across browser engines.
Tech Stack Docker, Selenium/Playwright, Hardware Lab.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Usage-based pricing (per minute of testing).

Notes

  • [Addresses the frustration expressed by leptons: "I shouldn't have to spend any money for the privilege to debug Apple's crap browser."]
  • [Facilitates the "monoculture" debate by making it easier for developers to test against all engines, not just Chrome, reducing the incentive to ignore Safari.]
  • [Practical tool that lowers the barrier to entry for maintaining web standards compliance.]

Browser Engine Compliance Scanner

Summary

  • [A tool that checks a proposed browser engine source code against Apple's "Alternative Browser Engine" requirements (EU/JP).]
  • [Scans for memory safety practices, JIT restrictions, and entitlement compliance before submitting to App Review.]
Key Value
Target Audience Teams attempting to port Chromium, Firefox (Gecko), or Ladybird to iOS.
Core Feature Static analysis of C++/Rust code to flag non-compliant patterns based on Apple's "Safer CPP" guidelines and entitlement restrictions.
Tech Stack Rust (for analysis), Clang tools, Python.
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Enterprise license for browser vendors.

Notes

  • [Tackles the compliance hurdles debated by dagmx, bangaladore, and dmazzoni: "Use memory-safe programming languages... within the alternative web browser engine."]
  • [Clarifies the vague requirements mentioned in the HN thread, such as whether using std::span satisfies Apple's safety criteria.]
  • [Increases the viability of third-party engines by pre-empting App Store rejections, addressing the "walled garden" complaints.]

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