Back when I used a iPhone for work, I remember having Safari, Apple Music, Apple Rock Band, Apple Podcasts, Apple News and a lot of built-in apps being un-uninstallable and unremovable from my home screen.

Safari was the most egregious, since all other browsers had to use it as a backend.

In current iOS, all apps can be deleted except seven: Settings, Phone, Messages, Camera, Photos, Safari and App Store. All apps can be removed from the home screen.

> Safari was the most egregious, since all other browsers had to use it as a backend.

Doesn’t that exactly explain why Safari couldn’t be removed?

It’s poor design, but Safari is one of those special apps that is both UI and system component. Same thing behind the PWA mess.