The changes, coming later this year in iOS 18, will allow EU users to set third-party apps as the default for phone, messaging, keyboards, password managers, and call spam filters.In spring 2025, Apple plans to extend this to navigation and translation apps as well.
A new “Default Apps” section in Settings will give users a centralised place to manage these preferences. This expands on existing options to change default browsers and email apps that Apple introduced in 2020.
Users can also delete Messages, Camera, and other core Apple apps
Additionally, EU users will be able to delete previously unremovable core apps like the App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari. Only the Settings and Phone apps will remain undeletable.
These changes come as Apple works to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to increase competition in digital markets. The company has already opened up its App Store to third-party marketplaces in the EU, with Epic Games launching its store on iOS last week.
Apple is also tweaking its browser choice screen that appears when EU users first open Safari. The new design will require users to scroll through all options before selecting, and will display more information about each browser.
While these changes only apply to EU users for now, they could potentially expand to other regions in the future, as regulators worldwide scrutinise big tech companies’ practices, including that of Apple.