Apple this week announced further changes to iOS to comply with the Digital Markets Act, new regulations introduced by the European Union earlier this year to rein in big tech companies. The company published a developer update on Thursday listing new changes due to take effect this year, including changing the default browser selection page that appears the first time a user uses Safari, allowing users to select default apps for calling and messaging, and adding the ability to remove the platform's core apps: App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera and Safari.
Apple said the move was part of its “ongoing dialogue with the European Commission” over DMA requirements. The company has had a tough time in the region, facing fines from the EU over music streaming and delaying the European rollout of its new AI technology, “Apple Intelligence,” and other new iOS features. This year, the company also allowed third-party app stores on iPhones.
The company says that a new Default Apps section will be added to Settings in the upcoming releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Apple says that upcoming options will include choosing default apps for “dial phone numbers, send messages, translate text, navigation, manage passwords, and call spam filtering.”
As for browser choice, the first time an iOS user tries to use Safari, they're presented with a screen showing all the browser options. They have to scroll through those options and set their default browser. According to Apple, this screen appears once per device and won't appear if the user has already set another browser as their default. If they move to a new iOS device, the browser choice screen will appear again.
The changes for European users don't affect how iOS functions in the U.S., where users can't configure some of these defaults and can't remove core apps like the App Store, Photos, or Messages.
