Google is working on porting its Blink engine from Chrome to iOS, but to what end?
Apple’s App Store rules require that the Chrome browser on iOS use the WebKit rendering engine (by Apple) rather than the traditional Blink engine (by Google), but that hasn’t stopped the Mountain View firm from working on an alternative scenario. The Register noticed that the American giant’s engineers have recently begun work on what can be described as an iOS port of Blink.
Google is working on porting its Blink engine from Chrome to iOS
The project is currently limited to the “content_shell”app, not Chrome, and the Chromium team behind it makes it clear that this is not the “end result”. According to the company, the project only exists to test rendering and graphics performance. In a press release, a Google spokesperson told Engadget that this port of Blink is only a “prototype”that is part of a larger open source initiative. This will not be available to the public and the company will “continue to comply”with Apple’s policies.
However, no one knows for sure why Google might want Blink on iOS. If Apple’s branding rules remain so strict, Google will never have the right to release a browser based on Blink. Only those who are technical enough to compile and run content_shell will understand this.
But for what purpose?
However, this time is probably not accidental. The US government wants Google and Apple to open up their platforms, in part to offer users the ability to install apps that are not, or less, regulated by manufacturers’ store rules. There have also been rumors recently that the Cupertino-based company may allow third-party iOS app stores to gain more favor with European regulators. If Apple ever needs to soften its approach, Google’s work to port Blink to iOS could help it make the transition a lot faster.
Such a change could also open up competition to browsers on iOS. This commitment to use WebKit should in theory allow for stronger device security by limiting security vulnerabilities as much as possible, but also reduces the likelihood of third-party browsers being singled out as they cannot use internal rendering engines to be faster or offer other features, for example, than Apple safari. Just like on Android or PC, an alternative browser has much more to offer than just a different interface.