European iPhone and iPad users will be able to kick Apple’s Phone and Messages apps to the curb if they wish. The same goes for an array of other applications that iOS currently makes the default options.

These join a long list of other changes being forced on Apple by the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

Europeans can change many iPhone app defaults

The purpose of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act is to open up Big Tech — including Apple — to more competition. It’s already brought significant changes to iPhones used in the region, including permitting sideloading of third-party software outside the App Store.

One major result of the legislation is Apple can no longer make its own applications the permanent defaults. Changes brought about by the DMA will allow Europeans to make third-party software the default on their iPhone or iPad for a wide variety of tasks, ignoring and in same cases completely deleting Apple’s own apps for those same tasks.

Significant progress on this will take place in the coming months. Apple announced Thursday:

“iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will also include a new Default Apps section in Settings that lists defaults available to each user. In future software updates, users will get new default settings for dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, keyboards, and call spam filters.”

EU users will also have the option to delete additional Apple applications, including the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera and Safari apps.

iOS 18 default apps section in Settings for EU users.Image: Apple
Tweaks to browser choice screen

Because of the Digital Markets Act, European iPhone users already see a screen that points out that while Safari is their default browser, there are a range of others available. There are changes coming to this screen.

Apple said Thursday that, “Developers of browsers offered in the browser choice screen in the EU will have additional information about their browser shown to users who view the choice screen.”

This answers a frequent criticism of the current version: it’s a simple list of alternative browsers without any descriptions of them allowed.

Apple committed to all of these changes “by the end of this year.” But to be clear, they are something only residents of the European Union need to be concerned about. Everyone else is mostly still limited to Apple’s own default apps, though some important ones can be changed. This includes the web browser and the default email app.