Google Chrome for iOS Finally Goes Open Source

Advertisement
By Shekhar Thakran | Updated: 1 February 2017 11:06 IST
Highlights
  • The iOS version is based on WebKit rendering engine
  • Google spent a "lot of time" to bring iOS version to Chromium
  • Google recently rolled out desktop version of Chrome 56
Google Chrome for iOS Finally Goes Open Source

Google has announced that after years of keeping Chrome for iOS separate from its Chromium project, it is now open-sourcing the browser on Apple's mobile platform. Despite the "additional complexity" associated with the platform, the company says that its team spent a lot of time over the past several years to make the necessary changes required to upstream the code for Chrome on iOS into Chromium.

If you are wondering why Chrome for iOS was kept separate from the Chromium project even though Android version joined Chromium back in 2015, this is because the iOS version of the browser is built on top of the WebKit rendering engine instead of Google's Blink engine. Due to the constraints associated with iOS, all browsers must be built on top of WebKit rendering engine, Google reminded readers in its blog post.

"For Chromium, this means supporting both WebKit as well as Blink, Chrome's rendering engine for other platforms. That created some extra complexities which we wanted to avoid placing in the Chromium code base," it added.

The upstreaming for the code has now been completed and developers can now compile the iOS version of Chromium just like they do for other platforms. "Development speed is also faster now that all of the tests for Chrome for iOS are available to the entire Chromium community and automatically run any time that code is checked in," the company said.

Advertisement

Google recently started rolling out Chrome 56 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The latest version of the desktop browser notably flags certain HTTP websites as unsafe in the address bar and also puts HTML5 as default over Flash for all users.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Sam Altman Reportedly Drops Clues About 'Secret' AI Device With Jony Ive
  2. Vi Rolls Out 'Nonstop Hero' Plan With Truly Unlimited Data and Calls
  3. Dyson Announces PencilVac As Its Slimmest Vacuum Cleaner to Date
  4. NASA's Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
  5. Scientists Warn of Inadequate Solar Storm Forecasting: What You Need to Know
  6. Vi Brings Add-on Feature to Family Postpaid Plans: Know How It Works
  1. SpaceX Successfully Launches 23 Starlink Satellites on Brand-New Falcon 9 Rocket
  2. Polaris Wasn’t Always the North Star: How Earth’s Wobble Shifts the Celestial Pole
  3. Scientists Warn of Inadequate Solar Storm Forecasting: What You Need to Know
  4. NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region
  5. New Study Uses AI to Reveal Dry Origins of Mars’ Mysterious Slope Streaks
  6. Ancient 14,000-Year-Old Solar Storm Revealed as Strongest Ever Recorded in Earth’s History
  7. New Study Confirms TeV Halos Are Common in Middle-Aged Pulsars
  8. Capuchin Monkeys Abduct Baby Howler Monkeys on Panama’s Jicarón Island, New Study Reveals
  9. Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark Now Streaming on Netflix: What You Need to Know
  10. Devika & Danny OTT Release Date Revealed: When and Where to Watch It Online?
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.