Apple alters selection screen for default apps after “dialog with EU Commission”
Apple is adjusting various screens to give users more choice on the iPhone and iPad. The changes are set to come this year.
Selection screen in iOS in the EU: Here to the default browser.
(Image: Apple)
Users in the European Union will be able to set additional default apps on the iPhone and iPad in future. Apple announced this on Thursday evening in a post on its developer website. In addition, it will now be possible to delete other apps, including particularly central ones such as the Safari browser.
The new regulations are the result of "our ongoing and continuous dialog with the European Commission regarding compliance with the requirements of the Digital Market Act in these areas", writes the iPhone company. The EU had previously dubbed the iPhone and iPad as gatekeeper platforms to be regulated under the DMA.
Away with Safari, App Store or Messages
The apps that can (also) be deleted from iPhones and iPads in the EU in future include the App Store, the aforementioned Safari browser, the Photos app and the Camera app. At the same time, there will be new default settings for telephony ("dialing phone numbers", writes Apple), messaging (i.e. the Messages app), text translation (currently: Apple Translate) and route guidance (currently: Apple Maps). According to Apple, route guidance and translation can be defined from "spring 2025". The Settings app and the Telephony app cannot be deleted.
Finally, users will also be able to choose which password manager, spam filter for phone calls and which keyboards (including those from third-party providers) they want to use on their iPhone and iPad. All of this can be changed via a central default screen, which can be accessed via the settings menu – including an overview of the current default apps.
Changes to the browser selection
Apple is also planning to redesign the current "Browser Choice Screen" following criticism from developers. The menu will now show "additional information" about the selectable programs. Developers will also receive "more data about the performance of the choice screen" and will probably be able to optimize it as a result.
The Browser Choice Screen will be displayed to all users in the EU who currently have Safari set as their default browser, which is likely to include the majority of users. Apple has summarized the exact changes in a support document for browser developers.
Apple wants to implement the changes – more default selection screens, a better browser choice screen and more deletion options for default apps – "by the end of the year" in the EU. The new default apps overview is planned for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. It initially remained unclear which of the other functions will also be included in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. iOS 18 and presumably iPadOS 18 are expected to be released in September.
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