iOS 18 will bring Default Apps setting for each app

Apple has announced that iOS 18 will launch a new Default Apps settings option that will allow users to add a default app for different tasks inside an app.

The setting can be found in Settings > Apps and then you will have to select the app of your preference to check its Default Apps settings.

For example, you can change the browser to open a link other than Safari. You can change which mail app to send an email, switch dialer, initiate payments, map, and so on.

You can switch these settings for different apps separately. That’s how each app will provide a customized user experience tailored.

Apple will release iOS 18 next month for all eligible devices but the default app setting will only be available in Europe.

The changes reflect Apple’s appliance to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The company first initiated a different App Store approach with iOS 17.4, allowing iPhone and iPad users to download apps from third-party sources other than the App Store.

iOS 18 Default Apps Setting (Source – Apple)

It has led the company to open thousands of APIs to support third-party app development. It had to open a few more layers into the app ecosystem by allowing sideloading of other app stores.

The browser was the crucial change and demand from the European Union to get freed from Apple’s dominance. Therefore, the Cupertino-based tech giant enabled a prompt for the default browser selection screen when a user opens a web link. Now, iOS 18 shows more information about the browser installed on the device.

Coming back to the default apps setting, users will first get access to browser, mail, app marketplace, and contactless apps, users will be able to set defaults for phone calls, messaging, password managers, keyboards, and call spam filters.

The company will push a new update to this section in 2025 and you will be able to add navigation apps and translation in default apps.

(source – Apple)