Apple will soon let iPhone and iPad users in the European Union choose default apps for phone calls, messaging, keyboards, password managers and more. Those options will be available in a new “Default Apps” section in Settings later this year.
Apple has announced that it will also allow users to set default navigation, translation apps, and call spam filter apps in the spring of next year. Along with these new options, iPhone users in the EU will also get the ability to delete the App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari apps. The apps that Apple will not allow users to delete are the Settings and Phone apps.
Apple’s browser selection screen in the EU is getting some minor changes to the screen that appears when users first open Safari on their iPhones. These changes allow users to install alternative browsers such as Firefox, Chrome or DuckDuckGo.
Once the update is available, Apple will require all EU users who set Safari as their default to scroll through the entire list of default browsers before selecting an option, and will also display the browser’s App Store banner on the selection screen. Developers of listed browsers will also have access to more data on the selection screen’s performance.
Apple also gives EU iPhone owners access to third-party app stores
Apple already allows users in the EU to change their default browser and email app. The company has also begun opening up the iPhone to third-party app stores, with the Epic Games Store launching on the platform last week. This rollout is not currently available in other regions.