Apple has announced that it will allow users in the EU to remove apps like Safari and the App Store.
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Apple will give European customers the opportunity to remove some of the company's default apps, including the App Store, camera and Safari, after being criticised by the European Commission to comply with competition rules.
Apple announced the news in a developer post on Thursday, following the company's announcement that it was splitting up its App Store team to address regulatory compliance, in a move seen as a way to appease EU officials.
“By the end of the year, we'll be making changes to browser choice, default apps and app removal in iOS and iPadOS for EU users,” Apple said in a note to developers.
“These updates arise out of our ongoing dialogue with the European Commission on compliance with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act in these areas,” the statement continued.
Later this year, EU users will start to see a new default apps section in iOS18 and iPadOS18, with future software settings introducing new default settings for navigation, sending texts, managing passwords, dialing phone numbers, and more.
Some of the other updates are expected to be released by Spring 2025.
However, users can still re-download these apps from the App Store and can also reinstall the App Store.
Apple customers will also have to scroll through a list of browser options, including Chrome and Firefox, before they can set their default browser.
Apple also announced that EU users who see the choice screen will see additional browser information to help developers choose alternative browsers.
In June, the European Commission informed Apple that its App Store rules violated the DMA by preventing app developers from freely directing consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.
