A major software update is coming soon that will allow iPhone and iPad users to do something they've always wanted: remove the App Store and other Apple apps from their iPhones and iPads. But there's one catch. You probably know what I mean: Due to the European Union's (EU) Digital Markets Act (DMA), this feature is limited to users who use Apple smartphones or tablets in one of the 27 EU member states.
Which Apple apps will EU iPhone and iPad users soon be able to delete?
In the EU, iPhone and iPad owners will be able to manage their default apps in the Default Apps section. | Image Credit – Apple
Apple makes it easier for EU iPhone and iPad users to choose a new default browser
To make it easier for iPhone and iPad users in the EU to choose which apps they want as their default apps, developers of third-party browsers offered on the EU browser choice screen will be able to display additional information to help users make a choice. All iPhone and iPad users in the EU who have selected Safari as their default browser will see the browser choice screen.
A new screen is coming to the EU that lets iPhone and iPad users choose their default browser. | Image credit – Apple
Here are the options that iPhone and iPad owners in the EU can choose as their default browser:
- Ecosia
- Brave
- corner
- UCOM
- chromium
- Firefox
- DuckDuckGo
- Quant
- Opera
- Safari
- Aloha
- Onion Browser
Each browser option has a small circle to the left of it. If you are in the EU, you can tap on any of these options and then press the “Set as default browser” button at the bottom of the page. Additionally, we're adding new features to the browser selection screen, including:
- The browser's description on the selection screen includes the subtitle of the app in the browser's App Store listing.
- Users will be able to see each browser's App Store product page by tapping the chevron (right arrow) on the right side of each browser.
- Before setting a browser as default, users must scroll through the complete list of browser options. If the selected default browser is already installed on the user's device, it will open automatically once selected.
- If the selected default browser is not already installed on your device, the selection screen will display the download progress of the selected browser before opening automatically.
- If Safari is currently the first page of the user's Dock or Home screen, and the user selects from the selection screen a default browser that is not currently installed on the device, the selected browser's icon will replace the Safari icon in the user's Dock or Home screen.
Again, these changes are expected to arrive on iPhone and iPad screens in the EU by the end of the year. If you want the same features in the US or wherever you live, contact your representatives and ask for legislation similar to the EU's Digital Markets Act. Don't get your hopes up.