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As Apple launches iOS 18.2 in beta, EU users will soon be able to delete the company’s default apps including the App Store and Safari.
This comes about following the back-and-forth with the European Commission about compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The EU’s DMA suggests services should not be designated as gatekeepers, with the giants in the industry now having to allow third-party apps or app store providers to access their platforms.
To comply with the Act, the iPhone maker has had to agree to a number of changes to the user’s experience. This prompted an announcement of these implementations in August.
In an update on Apple Developer, the company wrote: “By the end of this year, we’ll make changes to the browser choice screen, default apps, and app deletion for iOS and iPadOS for users in the EU.”
Apple users in the EU can now delete default apps due to DMA’s influence in iOS 18.2
This means that developers of browsers offered in the browser choice section in the EU will have additional information about their product shown to users who view the choice screen, with access to more data about the performance of this screen.
It was also explained how users in the EU would soon be able to delete the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari from their devices.
Now, with the beta release of iOS 18.2 underway, as of October 23, the company has shared how the previously previewed changes are now available.
This includes: “changes to the browser choice screen, default apps, and app deletion for EU users, as well as support in Safari for exporting user data and for web browsers to import that data.”
The team says that after receiving feedback from the European Commission and developers, in these releases developers can develop and test EU-specific features such as the “alternative browser engines, contactless apps, marketplace installations from web browsers, and marketplace apps, from anywhere in the world.”
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