Apple will soon allow Apple iPhone and iPad users in the European Union to choose default apps for phone calls, messaging, keyboard, password managers, and more.
According to a developer announcement, these options will be available later this year in a new section «Default Apps» in Settings.
Next spring, Apple will also allow users to set navigation, translation, and spam filtering apps as defaults. Along with these, Apple iPhone users in the EU will be able to uninstall the App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari apps. The only apps that Apple will not allow users to uninstall are Settings and Phone.
Some small changes will be made to the browser selection screen that appears when a user first opens Safari on an iPhone. It will be allowed to install alternative browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, or DuckDuckGo.
Once the update is available, Apple will require all EU users who have Safari installed by default to scroll through the entire list of browsers available for installation by default before selecting an option. The developers of the listed browsers will have access to additional performance data from this selection screen.
Apple already allows users in the EU to change default browser and an email program. The company also began opening up iPhones to third-party app stores, and Epic Games Store opened on the platform last week.
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