These alternatives to Chrome and Safari have been on fire since the DMA took effect

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One of the objectives of the DMA, or Digital Markets Act, is to give more opportunities to third-party browsers on Android and iOS. And for the moment, the data shows that the measures taken by the European Union are indeed having the desired effect, at least on certain alternatives to Chrome on Android, and to Safari on iOS.

After the DMA came into effect this March, the number of installations of the Brave browser on iOS increased from 8,000 on March 6, to 11,000, one week later, in the EU. For its part, Mozilla indicates that thanks to DMA, its browser has experienced growth of 50% in Germany and 30% in France. As for Opera, it claims growth of 402% in France on iOS. In Spain, Poland and Germany, the browser also experienced respective growth of 143%, 68%, and 56%.

“We see this as indicative of two things: on the one hand, the importance of regulation in providing a more level playing field, and on the other hand, the fact “users are hungry for new and innovative products that deliver a superior online experience”, says Jørgen Arnesen, executive vice president of mobile at Opera.

More chances and more freedom

Before the DMA came into force, it was already possible to replace Safari with another default browser on the iPhone. But, to comply with the new EU rules, Apple had to give the competition more chances. More precisely, the firm has set up a choice screen which presents the different alternatives to Safari, and which facilitates the adoption of one of these alternatives as the default browser.

< p>“iOS device users already have the option to choose a third-party web browser – other than Safari – as their default browser. In order to meet the obligations set by the DMA regulation, Apple is also introducing a new choice screen which will be displayed when Safari is first opened on iOS 17.4 (or later). This screen will prompt you to choose a default browser from a list”, explained the Cupertino company.

In addition to giving third-party browsers more chances, Apple also gives them more freedom. Indeed, in the European Union, iPhone browsers are no longer required to rely on WebKit technology which was imposed by the Cupertino company.

• To comply with the DMA, Apple had to give more visibility to third-party browsers and competitors of Safari
• And these measures are efficient: Opera, for example, observed triple-digit growth for the iOS version of its browser, in France
• Apple also allows third-party browsers to use a other technology instead of WebKit

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