Ask HN: Would you switch to iOS if Apple allowed independent browser engines? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Would you switch to iOS if Apple allowed independent browser engines?

1 pointmetadat7 comments

I'm increasingly annoyed with the subpar experience of Android.

I also have an iPhone 13 mini, but the ubiquitous crappiness and lack of control I perceive with the web browsing experience leaves it mostly relegated to the desk. As you may already know, Apple bans all 3rd party, non-WebKit browser engines.

If they opened up this aspect, I'd have little reason to stick with Android.

What's your take?

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Not likely, I like that you can sideload apps on Android, even replace the operating system. I don't especially like to depend on a single company for my digital life. If only the same could be done for card payments, there you pretty much have submit yourself to the will of Mastercard or Visa. I'm not fond of this whole digital feudalism.

I use Firefox with uBlock Origin on Android and Linux.

Browser choice concerns a minuscule percentage of iOS users. I don't fit the consumer demographic Apple successfully targets (people like my parents, or kids). I write software and do system administration for a living. I have used Macs, iPads, and iPhones for years, and I don't experience "general crappiness" or "lack of control." Safari works fine for me, but I don't put much energy into organizing tabs or customizing home pages or stuff like that, which maybe Firefox or Chrome do "better" in some sense. I don't pile extensions into my browser. For using web pages Safari just works.

To paraphrase Steve Jobs, an alternate web browser would have to improve my experience 10x, not 10%. Having used all of the major browsers, for years, I can say that none of them do anything useful (for me) ten times better than any of the others.

Why just the browser? It's just the tip of the iceberg. The real deal breaker is that you can't sideload apps. I know it's a good device for its target audience, but personally I'm not buying anything without a possibility to adjust it to my needs. Doesn't matter how good it is out of the box and maybe I won't even be needing to adjust anything, but I need an option to do it in case I change my mind later.

I use Firefox on: Android, iOS, Win 10, and macOS. Zero complaints. Made the switch a out a year ago. Zero regrets.

Eventually I'll ditch my Android device. The less Google in my life the better.

You can use other browsers on iOS. I flip between chrome and DDG, I never use safari.

That only changes the UI of the browser they still use Safari for rendering and running JavaScript.

Nope. Still too closed.

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