[sally1620]

Apple could solve this problem in Webkit. But Android is more complicated. On Android, third-party browser engines are allowed. Google cannot prevent an app from shipping its own browser engine for in-app browsing experience.

[sneak]

Apple is incentivized not to solve this because presently app creators can hijack these links to open in their own native code app, provided:

1. they have paid to join the apple developer program

2. they have validated ownership of their URL's domain with apple

3. they have submitted to all of the censorship requirements of the apple App Store (failure to do this one is what destroyed Tumblr and the Hong Kong anti-police protester app, you may recall)

4. they pay apple a cut of their sales

5. they buy mac workstations for all of their iOS mobile developers, to run xcode

Apple actually has a vested interest in apps supplanting the web, and has little incentive to improve web security features because Apple would prefer that new businesses simply use native iOS apps for everything (which sells more iPhones and locks both development investment as well as user eyeballs to their hardware).

[rawling]

The other-people's-apps-opening-your-site-in-their-custom-webview-and-adulterating-it problem doesn't go away if you onboard with Apple, build an app & register your domain for Universal Links. The custom webview is quite capable of blocking ULs.

[etchalon]

Apple's interest is in selling people iPhones.

One of the iPhone's marquee features is privacy.

Apple has shown that it is willing to piss off native app developers in favor of user privacy.

[not2b]

The app would have to get much larger if they have to bundle most of a browser with it to avoid using the browser components on the phone. But sure, they could do that.

But to be in the app store an app has to comply with the rules. Google could decide to require compliance with that header. It's no loss to them, because the consequence would be that almost all Android users would use Chrome, and the tracking in the browser would still be controlled by Google.