In recent months, Apple has been forced to make changes to how its walled garden operates thanks to pressure from the European Union (EU) and its Digital Markets Act (DMA). And the latest development could have a huge impact on how you use and download the best iOS apps on your iPhone if you live in the EU.
For one, you'll soon have a lot more choice over which default apps are used to open certain files on your iPhone. Right now, Apple already lets EU users change their default apps for browsing the web, sending email, making contactless payments, and purchasing apps, but that will soon be expanded to cover much more.
In a post on Apple’s developer website, Apple explained that EU users will soon be able to change their default apps for “dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, browsing, managing passwords, keyboards, and spam call filters.” This is a huge increase and should give you a lot more freedom to configure your iPhone however you like.
You'll be able to set new default apps for messaging, phone calls, password managers, spam call filters, and keyboards in an iOS 18 update later this year. For everything else, you'll have to wait until spring 2025.
Apple is also changing the way users can choose a default web browser. In iOS 17.4, EU users would see a popup showing a random list of available browsers. Now, this list will appear if you have Safari set as your default browser (but not if another default browser is set), and Apple is adding a description next to each app choice. This popup will appear on every Apple device you own. There’s more information about this change on Apple’s website.
More freedom to delete
The changes don't end there. Soon you'll not only be able to change your default apps, but you'll also be able to remove some of Apple's core apps that have been a key part of iOS for years.
For example, Apple will let you delete 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, not delete them entirely.
The App Store is an interesting example, because if you deleted it, you would have no way to get new apps (or re-download the App Store after deleting it), which is why Apple has always made it an essential app. But with the rise of third-party app stores on iOS, that's not as much of a concern anymore. As a safety precaution, Apple will allow users to re-download the App Store app from the Settings app, just in case.
These are obviously pretty big changes, but for now they're only rolling out to EU users, with no word on whether they'll be applied elsewhere. However, if you live in the EU, your iPhone will soon be able to be more personalized than ever.
