Google Ditches WebKit, Goes on Love Affair with Own Engine in Chrome For iOS

We’ve all been there. You’re in a committed relationship, but then Google arrives in town. It’s sleek, smooth, and incredibly powerful – a walking talking version of the perfect man or woman.

Well it was much the same story for WebKit. For years, Chrome for iOS was losing sleep dreaming of its beloved WebKit. And then, out of the blue, Google decided to leave its long-term partner WebKit and move on with a new engine….its own!

Google hasn’t commented on the state of its relationship with WebKit, but it didn’t take a master detective to see what was going on! A new engine was spotted in the Chrome for iOS code, ditching the traditional JavaScript rendering engine WebKit in favour of something shiny and new.

So just what does this mean for us?

Well, the good news is that the little found love-on-the-side of Google & their engine is likely to offer us significant performance benefits.

Finetuning the engine means Chrome will be faster, smoother, and more secure when it comes to running the webpages you love to visit. It also means the Chrome team will be able to introduce new features and fix problems without waiting for WebKit updates.

It also seems this new relationship could work both ways, with Google’s engine able to make improvements to WebKit tech as it goes.

The Bottom Line

Google dumping WebKit for their own engine in Chrome for iOS may shock us all, but it’s a move that could prove to be a real winner for Chrome users. Here’s the key points you need to know:

• Performance. Lots of performance. Chrome ditching WebKit should bring significant speed improvements when navigating the web.
• More control. Google will have full control over the engine, allowing them to introduce new features and fixes quicker than before.
• Two way street. Google could use the engine to improve WebKit tech, meaning everyone wins!

So let’s raise a toast to the new relationship between Google and its own engine. Who knows, our beloved browser may just have found the one!