In recent months, Apple has been forced to change how its walled gardens work due to pressure from the European Union (EU) and its Digital Markets Act (DMA), and for EU residents, this latest development could have a major impact on how you can download and use all the best iOS apps on your iPhone.
Firstly, you'll soon have much more choice when it comes to the default apps used to open certain files on your iPhone. Currently, Apple allows EU users to change the default apps for web browsing, email, contactless payments, and in-app purchasing, but this will soon be expanded to cover many more apps.
In a post on the Apple Developer website, Apple explained that EU users will soon be able to change the default apps for “dial phone numbers, send messages, translate text, navigation, manage passwords, keyboard, and call spam filter.” This is a significant increase, and should give users much more freedom to configure their iPhone to their liking.
The iOS 18 update later this year will let you set new default apps for messaging, phone, password manager, spam call filter, and keyboard. For other features, you'll have to wait until spring 2025.
Apple is also changing how users choose their default web browser. In iOS 17.4, users in the EU will see a pop-up window that shows a random list of available browsers. You'll see this list if you currently have Safari set as your default browser (but not if another browser is your default). Apple will also add descriptions next to each app choice. This pop-up will appear on all of your Apple devices. For more information about this change, visit Apple's website.
More freedom to delete
The changes don't stop there: Not only will you be able to change your default apps, but you'll also be able to remove some of Apple's core apps that have been an essential part of iOS for years.
For example, Apple will let you remove the App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari apps from your iPhone once these changes take effect. Previously, you could only remove these apps from the iOS Home screen, but not remove them completely.
The App Store is an interesting example: Apple has always made it a required app because removing it meant there was previously no way to get new apps, nor any way to re-download the App Store itself after removal. However, with the prevalence of third-party app stores on iOS, this is apparently no longer as big a concern. Just in case, Apple allows users to re-download the App Store app from the Settings app.
Obviously, these are some pretty big changes, but they're only rolling out to users in the EU for now, and it's unclear if they'll make it to other regions. But if you live in the EU, your iPhone could soon become more customizable than ever before.