Big changes are coming to the EU on the iPhone as Apple looks to give more choice to users in terms of default apps and what can be deleted.
iPhone is Getting a Default Apps Section in the EU – Users will Get More Default App Choices Compared to Rest of the World
Everywhere else in the world, Apple gives users a limited amount of choice when it comes to default apps. However, Apple is making a ton of new changes in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act. This means users will be able to replace a ton more apps and set anything else as default.
For example, users in the EU will be able to replace the Messages app with something else, such as WhatsApp or Signal. But that’s not all, users will be able to replace the Phone app as well. And since third-party app stores are allowed in the EU, Apple will allow users to delete the official App Store from the iPhone and iPad. Not only that, users can delete the Camera app as well, along with a bunch of first-party apps.
These changes are going to roll out with the official iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates. Apple is going to bundle a new Default Apps section in Settings for the EU, where users can change their default apps to anything they like. If you are all about choice, Apple is giving it to you – tons of it.
Things have suddenly gotten really interesting in the EU and it’s safe to say that the iPhone and iPad are different devices there compared to the rest of the world. But, are these the kind of changes the rest of the world should get, too?
I’m really, really curious to know if Apple will roll out these changes for everyone, not just the EU. For now, you can expect these changes to be extremely limited.
