Apple unveils iOS changes to comply with the EU's DMA: browser choice screen updates, more default app settings, and the ability to delete certain system apps

9to5Mac 2024-08-24 Chance Miller

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple’s DMA response has evolved from the earlier EU browser-default choice flow toward more visible control over the iPhone’s preinstalled software. The new settings and deletion options extend that compliance work beyond browser selection.

The changes follow a contentious first phase in which Apple said alternative browser-engine requirements led it to remove Home Screen web apps in the EU. They matter because they make default and system-app choices a more direct part of the regulated iOS experience.

First-order effects

EU iPhone users gain additional control over which apps handle default functions and can remove certain built-in system apps; the browser choice screen is also revised.
Apple must maintain a more configurable EU version of iOS while preserving its existing platform controls elsewhere.

Second-order effects

Browser developers gain another distribution moment at device setup or configuration, raising the value of competing on user choice rather than relying solely on App Store discovery.
Developers of apps that can be set as defaults may face a more contestable entry point, while Apple’s own system apps lose some of their preinstalled advantage in the EU.

Third-order effects

If these requirements continue to broaden, mobile-platform competition may increasingly be shaped by regulator-defined choice architecture—defaults, uninstallability, and setup flows—rather than by a single operating-system owner’s product design.
Apple’s EU-specific approach could make regional software configurations a durable operating model for large platforms, though the practical effect will depend on whether users actually change defaults or delete system apps.

The trend: The DMA is shifting mobile competition from access to app stores alone toward control of the user’s initial and default software choices.

Discussion

@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
Exactly. Like. We. Said. Phil, You could have just redistributed the commission and allowed links. Apple would have kept control and profits. Now it's a god damn mess. Waisting billions of dev hours, worse for users, and worse for Apple. 😔
@luciascarlet &DAGGER; Lucia Scarlet on x
deleting the App Store: [image]
@dimillian Thomas Ricouard on x
Congrats @ThierryBreton, I hope you'll be able to help all the people who can't receive phone calls anymore because they deleted their phone app. I'll forward you the support emails. Oh wait they also deleted their email app. https://www.macrumors.com/...
@mrwhosetheboss Arun Maini on x
Next up: The EU allows users to delete iOS and install Android 😂
@dylanmcd8 Dylan on x
Question, how do you get the App Store back if you delete it
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
@mysk_co So, if you delete the App Store, do you reinstall it from Apple's web site and go through all of Apple's scare screens and dead-end settings screens?
@mysk_co @mysk_co on x
Deleting Apple's App Store isn't a viable option in practice. The vast majority of the developers aren't willing to accept the new terms so that they offer their apps on alternative marketplaces. Many popular apps will only be available on the App Store https://www.macrumors.com/…
r/technews r on reddit
EU iPhones will be able to change the default phone and messaging apps soon | Apple will let users easily set new default keyboard and password managers or even delete the App Store app.
r/apple r on reddit
iOS 18 adding default app controls for messaging, phone calls, navigation, and more in the EU

Chronicles