Developers: Apple throttling Web app speeds on iPhone homescreen

By on Mar 15, 2011 at 3:34 PM
Software March 15, 2011

According to reports from developers speaking to The Register, iOS web applications — when launched from the home screen of an iPhone or iPad — run 2 to 2.5 times slower than if launched directly from the Safari web browser. Right now it’s unclear if Apple is directly, or indirectly, causing this to happen. It’s possible that the speed cut is a result of a bug, but the developers have pointed out that it makes web apps less desirable than those that can be downloaded or purchased through the iTunes App Store. If Apple is doing this on purpose, it could be viewed as an attempt to force developers to publish content to the company’s mobile application store — where Apple takes a 30% cut of sales revenues. “Apple is basically using subtle defects to make web apps appear to be low quality—even when they claim HTML5 is a fully supported platform,” argued one developer. Another developer said that Apple is using an older JavaScript engine, which is causing some of the issues. Web sites that are saved to the homescreen as web apps cannot take advantage of HTML5′s application caching capabilities, which allows for offline viewing. Developers have filed bug reports with Apple, but have yet to receive any feedback.

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30 Comments

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  • Anonymous

    Are we surprised? I mean we all saw their new rules on in app renewals. Apple is here to take as much money from your pocket as they can. i mean we saw how Steve Jobs treated his own child are we surprised the guy is kind of shady at times?

  • Bringit

    no biggie.

  • http://twitter.com/mattsinopoli mattsinopoli

    Is this only if you are accessing it from the homescreen? If you load it from your bookmarks it works fine?

  • Anonymous

    So it’s faster to use the Safari browser, the FREE Safari browser? I’m confused.

    • Anonymous

      Yea the screwed up the article… they have it backwards

      • http://www.bgr.com Andrew Munchbach

        The article is not backwards. If you save an iOS application to your home screen then run that application, it will run 2 to 2.5 times slower than if you just opened that web page in Safari. That is what The Register’s article says and that is what our article says.

        These excerpts are taken directly from The Register’s article:

        “Apple iOS 4.3 runs web applications in the browser about two times faster than when they’re launched from the home screen into full-screen mode. And like the three other developers we spoke to, he’s sure this is because home screen apps can’t take advantage of Nitro.”

        “If a web app is run from the iOS 4.3 home screen – in other words, if it is saved to the screen alongside local apps downloaded from the Apple App Store – and launched into full-screen mode, it runs roughly two to two and a half times slower than it does in the browser, according to various tests.”

        “Apple’s iOS mobile operating system runs web applications at significantly slower speeds when they’re launched from the iPhone or iPad home screen in “full-screen mode” as opposed to in the Apple Safari browser…”

  • Anonymous

    It’s faster in Safari, but not from the home screen?
    Seems to me like it could be a bug. Safari just got a new Javascript engine. There’s room for issues there.

  • Anonymous

    “According to reports from developers speaking to The Register, iOS web applications — when launched from the home screen of an iPhone or iPad — run 2 to 2.5 times slower than if launched directly from the Safari web browser.”

    I’m pretty sure you guys have that Entire opener backwards… which made reading the rest of the article confusing…

    “when launched from the home screen–run 2 to 2.5 times slower–THAN Safari” <– that's what you said… it runs slower from the homescreen. Which contradicts the entire article.

    #pleasefix

    • http://twitter.com/jaspertandy jaspertandy

      No, that’s right. The sites run slower when launched from the homescreen. The wording reads correctly to me.

      “web applications — when launched from the HOME SCREEN of an iPhone or iPad — run 2 to 2.5 times SLOWER THAN if launched directly from the Safari web browser”

      Homescreen apps run slower than Safari bookmarks.

      • http://twitter.com/mattsinopoli mattsinopoli

        Do people use homescreen “apps” that much? I mean they are just bookmarks. I like to keep mine in the bookmarks section so I dont have to close safari just to go to a different website.

      • serpentor

        with html5 a web app is more like an actual app.

        Also a bookmarked site will open up in Safari. A web app saved to the home screen won’t run with a Safari wrapper.

      • http://twitter.com/jaspertandy jaspertandy

        I use them, yeah. Not loads, but the Basecamp one is better than any client I’ve used for the same purpose (i.e., I actually use it). There’s some good stuff about.

        Thing with this, is it’s just as likely to be an oversight or a bug as it is to be some giant funnelling of money directly into Apple’s pocket. I mean, you can see adequate justification for either points, right? Thing is, what’s more /interesting/? A bug report or a conspiracy?

        (it’s the conspiracy)

      • serpentor

        I’m with jaspertandy. I don’t see the contradiction.

        Maybe it’s simpler to just say Apple is abusing it’s monopoly.

  • skinny pete

    Now what Apple fans? When will the world finally open their eyes and see that APPLE IS PURE EVIL?!

    • http://twitter.com/SenorDickhaus Señor Dickhäus

      Pure evil is quite a lofty assessment. I think Extremist Emily here needs to step back and breathe some clean air.

  • Octotron

    Wait…. I thought that Apple had no bugs and everything they do is masterfully and diligently tested in order to produce perfect products no matter what anyone says??

    I think people’s heads might explode…

    • Brett

      But they don’t get viruses! LOL

      • Octotron

        Biggest lie I have ever heard… heh

  • Anonymous

    It’s not a bug it’s a feature.

  • http://twitter.com/chronic chronic

    Wrong. It’s just a 4.3 bug. Full screen web apps run in a separate application, not MobileSafari, and Apple only gave MobileSafari the entitlement (“dynamic-codesigning”) which is what allows it to take advantage of Nitro + JIT in the first place. The app that runs the full screen web apps, Web.app, does not have this entitlement in its bundle. Due to the way they appear to handle this, it’s very likely to just be a bug, I don’t know why everyone is throwing around these conspiracy theories of Apple trying to hinder web apps on purpose.

    • David

      It may be “just a bug” to you, but it’s one of many serious bugs afflicting 4.3. Apple doesn’t do a very good job when it comes to QC’ing iOS releases. Takes them about 3 attempts (versions) to get it half way right.

    • JavaScriptIsTheNewCOBOL

      Doubt it is a bug. Apps on Springboard are a convenience and therefore are used a lot more (than Safari web-sites) and thus need to be throttled unless they’re written to be as efficient as possible (in Obj C). The more CPU an app uses, the more current the CPU chip will convert to heat, exhausting the non-removable battery with a limited number of recharge cycles. That said, it’s nice of Apple to provide web developers with a way to get on the Springboard without first learning Obj C.

  • David

    Yet one more reason I despise Apple/Herr Jobs.

    • Get a life

      Wow, I’ve never fully understood a citizen hating a CEO of a company….especially one that has nothing to don with you. Talk about school-girlish.

  • Anonymous

    “Right now it’s unclear if Apple is directly, or indirectly, causing this to happen.” (but we’ll run an article with a headline that suggests it is deliberate anyway. Man, this site is so going downhill.

  • Anonymous

    I can confirm that my web apps are slower when run as “+” homescreen apps.

    But It doesn’t matter since 99% run the app from my web site via their browser.

    Wonder if there’s a way to prevent the app from being saved as a homescreen app.

  • Anonymous

    Fkn Apple the ultimate RIP-OFF artists. Jobs even admitted to it.
    All profit no soul… Don’t be Evil.

  • zps

    there is an error in the article at the beginning. iOS apps run faster, NOT web apps. BGR, please correct.

  • Anonymous

    Apple sucks, this we know. How is this news?

  • Anonymous

    You are launching it wrong…

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