Webviews as App‑store Backdoor

Developers are using in‑app web views to host and run third‑party 'apps' inside a host app, which can let code and experiences bypass App Store distribution and review. Platform owners (Apple) are starting to intervene by blocking updates unless the embedded experience is opened externally or limited in capability. This creates a new battleground over whether a hosted web app inside a native app counts as an App Store app or an allowed web experience. — This matters because it reframes sideloading and gatekeeping debates: platforms can close ‘backdoors’ not just by banning apps but by policing how apps embed runnable code, affecting developer business models and regulatory arguments about fair access.