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How to Choose Your Default Apps on the iPhone

If you're running iOS 14 you can pick some default apps

By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 29, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android

What to Know

To change a default browser or email app, go to Settings, select the app, and choose Default Browser App or Default Mail App.Right now it's very limited as to which app types are able to be set as default. This article explains how to change default apps on iOS 14 and above.

How Default Apps Work on iPhone

The word "default" means two things when it comes to iPhone apps. First, it means apps that come pre-installed on your iPhone when it ships to you from the factory (or when you reset the phone to factory settings). In the second case, default apps are apps that are always used to do a certain thing. For example, when you tap a website link in an email, it always opens in Safari. That makes Safari the default web browser on your iPhone. When a website includes a physical address and you tap it to get directions, Apple Maps launches because it is the default mapping app. Many apps do the same things. Google Maps is ​an alternative app for navigation. Many people use Spotify rather than Apple Music for music streaming. Others prefer Chrome for web browsing instead of Safari. Anyone can install these apps on their iPhone. But what if you always want to use Google Maps instead of Apple Maps? What if you want links to open in Chrome every time?

How to Change Default iPhone Apps on iOS 14 and Up

It used to be that you couldn't pick default apps on your iPhone, but that changed in iOS 14. If you're running that version of the iOS, or newer, you can now pick default iPhone apps other than the ones that come with the factory settings. For now, you can only pick default iPhone apps in a couple of categories: web browser and email. No other categories of app support changing defaults. The options for the default apps are: App Category Default Options Web Browser Safari DuckDuckGo
Firefox
Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge Email Mail Gmail
Hey
Microsoft Outlook
Spark Here's how to change your default web browser or email app on iOS 14 and up: If you don't already have the app you want to set as the new default on your iPhone, get it at the App Store. With that done, tap Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings screen and tap the app you want to make the default. Tap Default Browser App or Default Mail App. Tap the app you want to set as the default. Your choice will be automatically saved. Return to using your iPhone the way you want and, whenever you open a link or start a new email, your selection from step 5 will be your new default.

You Can' t Change iOS Default Apps on iOS 13 and Earlier

If you're running iOS 13 or earlier and are looking to change your default iPhone apps, it's not possible. You'll need to upgrade to iOS 14. In the past, Apple didn't allow people to make certain kinds of customizations. One of the blocked customizations was choosing your default apps. Apple didn't allow this kind of customization because it wanted to ensure that all iPhone users enjoy a similar experience, with a baseline level of quality and expected behavior. The other reason that its apps are the default is that doing that brings Apple more users. Consider the Music app. By making it the default music app, Apple has acquired 98 million paying customers for its Apple Music service as of 2021. That's more than $4 billion in annual revenue. If it allowed customers to set Spotify as their default, Apple would likely lose some percentage of those customers. Derek Abella / Lifewire

How to Delete Default Apps on iPhone

Apple's tight control​ over the iPhone and its software will probably never completely go away, but it's getting looser. While it used to be impossible to delete the apps that come with the iPhone, in iOS 10, Apple made it possible to delete some of these apps, including Calculator, Home, Watch, Reminders, Stocks, and more. FAQ What are the default apps on the iPhone Dock? The default apps on the iPhone Dock—the row of apps at the bottom of the Home screen—are Phone, Safari, Messages, and Music. Although these four apps ship with on the iPhone Dock, you can switch them out with any other apps. If you feel limited by only four apps, get around this by placing a folder of apps on the Dock in place of one icon. How do I set a different default keyboard on my iPhone? Go to Settings > General > Keyboard on the iPhone and select a keyboard. If you don't see one you want, install a keyboard app from the App Store. After you select a keyboard, toggle to it by selecting the globe on the keyboard in any app that supports keyboard input. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Can You Delete the Apps That Come With the iPhone? How to Factory Reset an iPhone (All Models) How to Make Google Maps the Default on iPhone How to Customize CarPlay and Unlock Hidden Secrets The History of iOS, from Version 1.0 to 16.0 How to Make IE11 the Default Browser in Windows How to Send a New Email With iPhone Mail App How to Change and Clear Default Apps in Android How to Create Folders on an iPhone to Organize All Your Apps How to Change the Color of Apps on iOS 14 How to Control iPhone Safari Settings and Security What Happened to the Old iPhone YouTube App on iOS 6? Can You Get Google Maps for iOS 6? How to Drop a Pin in Maps on iPhone How to Clear Your iPhone Cache How to Change the Default Browser in Thunderbird Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies