Apple will let you change the iPhone's default web browser and email app in iOS 14, but any plans to change others like music or maps are still far away. Here's why.
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Lisa Eadicicco
Jun 27, 2020, 02:19 IST
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Apple will finally let iPhone owners set their favorite apps and services as their default web browser and mail apps in iOS 14.
But many were left wondering why Apple is only allowing custom app defaults for mail and web browsing and not other categories like music, maps, or calendar.
Apple's Craig Federighi recently told YouTube personality Marques Brownlee that Apple is taking a cautious approach by starting with just email and web browsing.
But he also said that this is just where Apple is starting.
That means if you prefer a web browser other than Apple's Safari — like Google Chrome —or an email app besides Apple's Mail app, you'll be able to set those services as your default apps when you click a link or compose an email.
Although it's a welcome addition that will add convenience for iPhone users, many were left wondering why Apple is only offering the option to choose defaults for web browsers and email apps and not other popular categories like maps or music.
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Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, recently answered that question when speaking withtech critic and YouTube personality Marques Brownlee. Apple is essentially taking a cautious approach to prevent developers from trying to work around Apple's rules and potentially mislead users, Federighi said during the interview with Brownlee.
"We know how platforms can sort of descend into chaos," Federighi said. "Particularly when apps that might not honestly even be browsers decide they're going to be a browser, and try to hook into being your browser because maybe they could redirect you to a different tracked ad experience when you click on something."
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But he also added that this is just where Apple "started," possibly hinting that Apple may expand the available choices in the future. Apple started with email and web browsers because those were two categories consumers wanted to customize the most, Federighi said.
Apple has criteria in place that apps will have to meet in order to be set as a default email service or web browser. Only general purpose web browsing apps, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, for example, will be able to be chosen as default web browsing options. This should prevent developers behind other types of apps, like games, from building web browsing capabilities into their apps just so they can be set as defaults.
"We are very careful about making sure that that experience, that we don't have people getting misled," Federighi said.
The change could also help appease app developers at a time when Apple and other large tech companies have been caught in the middle of antitrust concerns. Critics like Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have argued that Apple's position as being the operator of the iOS ecosystem and App Store gives its own services like Apple Music an unfair advantage against competitors. The European Commission also recently launched two antitrust probes into Apple over Apple Pay and its App Store policies.
Apple announced its new version of iOS as well as other critical updates for its most important products during its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. The update will roll out to iPhones this fall.
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You can watch the full interview below.
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