Apple Announces Further Changes in Europe
Apple has announced several changes it will be rolling out in Europe before the end of the year to further comply with the Digital Market Act (DMA) requirements.
Apple says in its article announcing the changes that “these updates come from our ongoing and continuing dialogue with the European Commission about compliance.”
Once the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 launch later this year, iPhone and iPad users will encounter a browser choice screen the first time they use Safari. They will be able to select from a range of options to set as a default browser. Apple will offer 12 of the most downloaded browser apps, and the list will change once per year based on the data from the previous year.
Apple users will also be able to define a preferred app Marketplace on their devices, allowing them to download apps from other app stores and set a third-party app store as the default.
With the updates Apple will introduce, its users will now be able to define a “default browser, mail, app marketplace, and contactless apps”, as well as “as defaults for phone calls, messaging, password managers, keyboards, and call spam filters.”
Certain apps will also become deletable, a break from how Apple has managed its core applications. Starting later this year, users will be able to delete the App Store, Messages, Camera, and Safari apps from their devices. The only apps that users will not be able to delete will be the Phone and Settings app.
Apple first announced changes in March following the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) implementation. These changes include allowing customers to download apps from third-party app stores, expanding default browser choices, and offering more payment options.
