A good initiative, but there seems to be nothing on the horizon that can limit the increasing dependence on iOS / App Store and Android / Play Store / Play Services in European citizens' lives, and Microsoft in European corporate and government desktops. If anything, policy makers seem to prefer to increase the dependence, e.g.
https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-...
https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/.github/blob/m...
How https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi... shakes out will be a critical part of this.
The loopholes in this "commitment," e.g. allowing Apple to determine unilaterally whether, say, Servo has a well-enough-monitored software supply chain before giving it access to JIT capabilities, give Apple an iron fist over the ability to use this engine in practice in the EU.
But there's also a world where Servo, with funding like this, can achieve these requirements and Apple (begrudgingly) follows the intent of this policy to avoid further regulatory action. And suddenly there's a new browser on the block that can push the boundaries of mobile web capabilities in ways that make the web better overall, and push standards forward as well so that maybe, just maybe, non-EU folks get the benefit of these innovations down the road. One can dream :)
A pipe dream. Android (with significantly higher market share in Europe than iOS) has no limits on alternative web engines. But all the critical mobile security and payments apps are built on Android/Play Services, not in mobile browsers.
MicroG is also financed mostly by German public funds.
Please don't spread FUD. This is only REFERENCE implementeation of the specification: https://eu-digital-identity-wallet.github.io/eudi-doc-archit... which doesn't mention anything about being exclusive to iOS/Android.
From the linked repository:
> The EU Digital Identity Wallet Reference Implementation helps EU countries and stakeholders to build their own wallets. It consists of open-source code libraries, modular components, and a fully functioning reference application based on the ARF.
Sure, nothing strictly requires iOS/Android in paper specs and in presentations. But we all now that the only working practical implementations will be one iOS/Android. I mean, look at the actual code in the (Microsoft) github repo.
The EU forced Apple to open NFC for third party payments, which is great. But all the banks in the Netherlands only have working card payments in Apple and Google Wallet. Including the largest bank (ING), that used to have independent in-app NFC payment on Android (where NFC was always open) but seems to have capitulated and now only offers it via Google Wallet.
Wero is launching phone payments via NFC in the Netherlands next year.
At some point, it’s legitimate that innovations are developed for platform that people actually use. It’s good to be practical before being political sometimes.
> Sure, nothing strictly requires iOS/Android in paper specs and in presentations. But we all now that the only working practical implementations will be one iOS/Android. I mean, look at the actual code in the (Microsoft) github repo.
No, we don't know. You are projecting and again - spreading FUT.
Did you do anything towards implemeting the specs on other platforms? Or are you only very vocal online complaining?
In that repo they clearely stated, that they focus on Android/iOS as it's the most popular platform (contrary to what the IT bubble here may think) and want to reach the most user with the (initial) implementation.
> The EU forced Apple to open NFC for third party payments, which is great. But all the banks in the Netherlands only have working card payments in Apple and Google Wallet. Including the largest bank (ING), that used to have independent in-app NFC payment on Android (where NFC was always open) but seems to have capitulated and now only offers it via Google Wallet.
OK, again - you are projecting Netherlands issues over the UE. Surprisingly - in Poland I can pay with ING bank with NFC. Same in Spain with BBVA app.
Just because something is broken in your corner of the universe doesn't mean it's the global fenomena :)
Also - instead of complaining about the EU - maybe try persuaiding the entities to add support?
Alas - I'm pondering ECI initiative to actually force "Open Android" (ie. withou Google Services being required) as a valid platform because I was fed up with Google imposing more and more overreach. Android is quite OK if it werent for the walled garden from google…
> in Poland I can pay with ING bank with NFC
Not in Romania. You have to use Google Wallet. You can't use the ING Pay app anymore since last year.
I was just suggesting that ING has different policies in different countries.
As for "we have to use google wallet!!!":
https://i.ibb.co/4Z9dMvzR/Screenshot-20251011-184343-Setting...
basically all banking apps for accounts I have (alior, PKO - biggest polish bank, ING Poland and spanish BBVA as well as curve to which you can add whicever card)