How does removing web apps help anything? To me it seems like part of a ploy to create backlash against this law by removing features

It's a move against the third party browser engines which have been the bane of my existence from a security perspective on other platforms. For example, the about box in an Android app bundled a whole different browser engine which circumvented device policy entirely and allowed data to be exfiltrated. This app change was delivered in an update by clueless or lazy developers. This is not possible on iOS due to the platform restrictions.

In this case they have to change the integration and sandbox model to allow the security policy to remain intact for people who want and need it. That breaks a few things but it stops the integration from being used for exfiltration among other things.

Note that they're not completely breaking it, just ensuring that the security model stays intact when browser engines have to coexist on the same device. That means sacrificing some convenience for security.

> For example, the about box in an Android app bundled a whole different browser engine which circumvented device policy entirely and allowed data to be exfiltrated. This app change was delivered in an update by clueless or lazy developers. This is not possible on iOS due to the platform restrictions.

If this prevention is by OS security, then your complaint is about the OS.

If it us by store guards, then yiu complaint is about the store.

So sorry, but I don't see how your complaint is properly about the browser engines.

I know it is not en vogue to be charitable towards tech companies, but it seems fair to assume that some teams are making a good faith effort to follow the law, and may be forced to accept imperfect design tradeoffs. Like they say, it affects a relatively small number of users, there is a sufficient workaround, and the technical fix would require major investment.

Not everything is a conspiracy.

> it seems fair to assume that some teams are making a good faith effort to follow the law

Equally fair to conclude that one team here is not.