Apple allows iPhone users to uninstall the iOS App Store. The company also makes it easy to remove some core or built-in iOS apps.
Apple allows EU iPhone users to uninstall iOS App Store
Apple is under pressure from European Union regulators to open up its heavily walled gardens. The company has ditched its proprietary Lightning port and embedded a USB-C port in its latest iPhones.
With the latest iOS 18.2 update, Apple allows iPhone users to change their default apps. iPhone users around the world can remove some first-party apps such as Calculator, Calendar, Music, and Notes.
The iOS 18.2 update for EU iPhones adds several more first-party apps that iPhone users can remove. The latest beta version of iOS reportedly allows iPhone users in the EU to also delete the Camera, Safari, Messages, and Photos apps.
Interestingly, apart from the aforementioned apps, iPhone users in the EU can delete the Apple iOS App Store. Specifically, users can download an alternative app marketplace to replace the iOS App Store.
Apple will reportedly add a dedicated button to the Settings app that will allow iPhone users to restore Apple’s App Store after deleting it. Needless to say, Apple complies with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The company is fighting a legal battle in the EU to protect its walled garden.
Apple lets iPhone users ditch default apps and choose third-party alternatives
Apple Intelligence is definitely the highlight of the iOS 18.2 update. This update adds Image Playground, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Search for iPhone 16 models.
Apple has added a dedicated hub to the Settings app for changing your default apps. It’s interesting that Apple made it so easy to switch between apps in one dedicated hub and didn’t force iPhone users to go through a complicated maze of settings and permissions.
What’s even more surprising is that Apple is allowing iPhone users outside the EU to change some default apps. So far, only the EU has forced companies like Apple and Google to allow users to remove pre-installed apps from their devices and use third-party apps to replace the default apps.
By the way, Google already allows third-party app stores to work on Android devices. The company is therefore compliant with the EU’s DMA.
