Google is working on an ‘experimental’ iOS browser without WebKit support

Google developers are working on an “experimental” browser for iOS that doesn’t use WebKit. Without WebKit support, browser makers are not allowed to offer their app in the App Store, a rule that is under pressure in various markets.

The content_shell app would be intended to measure graphics and input latencies and provide traces for analysis. The makers emphasize that the open source app is not intended to create a shippable browser and that it is intended purely for experimental purposes. A Google spokesperson confirms to The Register that the company has no plans to release the app and that it will continue to comply with Apple’s rules.

Although Google says it will not release the app, it is striking that the company is now working on a non-WebKit iOS browser. On iOS, the use of WebKit and JavaScriptCore for a browser is mandatory, so iOS browsers cannot differ much from Safari. However, this policy is under pressure in several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, and in the European Union, notes The Register.

With the ‘experimental’ app, Google may be preparing for a future in which WebKit is no longer mandatory on iOS. The experimental browser is still in development and uses Blink, the rendering engine already used in the Windows, Android and macOS versions of Chrome, among others.