iPhone’s default apps: What to change and why you shouldn’t choose WhatsApp

What was long considered impossible has now been a reality for almost four years: iPhone owners are allowed to pick their own default apps for core functions such as email, phone, messaging, and web browsing. While Apple was reluctant to grant users these freedoms, pressure from regulators and competitors finally forced the company to yield ground.

But how open is the system really? Who benefits? And are the non-Apple options genuinely useful in everyday life, or are they just a way to appease competition authorities? Let’s investigate.

What does a “default app” mean in iOS?

The default app for any given function is the one that iOS will use if not instructed otherwise.

Until 2020, for example, Apple rigidly controlled which app “mailto:” and web links would open in: namely its own Mail and Safari. In those days clicking a web link in an app, email, or message would result in the URL opening, automatically and by default, in Safari. Being the default is a huge advantage and gives you a hefty boost in usage numbers.

Only since the intervention of European competition regulators have iPhone owners had the option to choose their own mail clients and web browsers. Google Chrome, Firefox, Outlook, Gmail and so on can now be set as the default.

With further updates, especially since the rollout of iOS 18.2, Apple has also allowed users to set default apps in other core areas. You can select alternative defaults as your phone and messaging apps, for example. You can do this in the Settings app by going to Apps > Default Apps, provided the developer of your chosen app has applied for this privilege (or “entitlement,” in Apple lingo) and gone through a technical review process.

Note also, in case it isn’t obvious, that you need to install an app before selecting it as default: on a brand-new iPhone the menu for default email apps, for example, will only show Mail, with Outlook, Gmail and so on appearing only as you install them. In other words Apple doesn’t present you with a list of apps that aren’t currently on your device but would be entitled to become the default if they were. It’s another small example of the ways Apple has made this process slightly less user-friendly than it could be, a habit the company often develops when it’s forced to do something it doesn’t want to do.

How do third-party developers obtain the right to be a default app?

The process of obtaining the relevant entitlement remains restrictive. Developers must submit an application and prove that their app covers the relevant range of functions responsibly and in full. For phone and messaging, for example, Apple has strict requirements related to data protection. Apple also checks whether the app in question offers a “genuine” replacement for the original app and does not provide users with dead ends, spam, or a poorer experience.

Only after a detailed review and technical inspection will a developer be authorized to have their app proposed as an alternative default. After approval, the apps receive a special Entitlement Profile.

Which default apps are currently available?

Despite the high barrier to entry, there are now plenty of worthwhile alternatives to Apple’s default apps. But the range available, and their usefulness, varies depending on the category. We find it useful to look at these categories in pairs.

Browser and email

There’s more choice in these two categories than anywhere else. Google Chrome and Firefox are excellent candidates to be your iPhone’s default web browser, while Outlook, Gmail, and Spark are popular options on the email side. For many email clients you’ll find that the app asks specifically whether you want to make it your default when you open it for the first time. After initial setup, links and mailto references system-wide will open in your chosen app.

Verdict: Changing your defaults here can make a big difference. Anyone who is deeply embedded in the Google or Microsoft software ecosystem, for example, can experience real added value by selecting a matching web browser or email app on their iPhone. In everyday life, the alternative apps offer their own user interfaces, push notifications and multi-platform benefits. There are also good offerings from third-party providers that are not directly connected to your underlying service: I’ve been using Airmail for many years simply because I think it’s great.

Mapping

Apple Maps remains iOS’s favourite, but users are increasingly turning to alternatives such as Google Maps, Waze, and Here. If you like to share routes, explore points of interest and plan complex journeys you can gain a wealth of data and community features by switching to Google Maps.

System integration is still not seamless: Type addresses in other apps or via Siri, for example, and you’ll often end up back on Apple Maps. Support for the Apple Watch is of course also much better with Apple Maps. And here’s the big limitation: Apple Maps can only be replaced as your default iPhone mapping app if you’re in the EU. For the time being, U.S. and U.K. users don’t get the option.

Verdict: Switching to Google Maps is advantageous for power users, as its level of detail, public transport and community functions are clearly superior. For occasional users, the differences may not be noticeable in everyday life as long as Apple Maps remains deeply integrated into the system. And in any case, switching the default setting away from Apple Maps is a privilege enjoyed only by EU users, at least for now.

Phone and messaging

It’s possible to set WhatsApp as your default calling or messaging app. But whether it’s a good idea to do so is the subject of loud debate.

The main downside is that WhatsApp doesn’t truly replace the classic Phone app system-wide. You can only place a call if the other person also has a WhatsApp account; if not, WhatsApp displays an error message and then sends you back to Apple’s Phone app. Its usefulness as a messaging app is also limited. Contacts who haven’t got WhatsApp are displayed as unavailable, and the system then reverts to the usual Messages app for SMS texts.

With other messaging apps such as Signal and Threema, the level of system integration is currently even weaker. Typically, these apps are not available as a selectable default, as they either haven’t got the necessary entitlements or Apple has blocked them for a technical reason. The fragmentation of the messaging market also means that all your contacts are unlikely to be on one platform.

Verdict: You should only choose WhatsApp as a default phone or messaging app if you communicate exclusively in the WhatsApp universe–which may be the case for younger users, family groups or small company circles. For anyone who works with multiple channels, the change is hardly wise. As things stand, the option to make WhatsApp the default calling app is more of a marketing coup for Meta than a real improvement in everyday life. And other messaging apps are even less appealing.

The power of the default app

Why are default apps so important anyway? Because so many functions and processes on a smartphone start off in one app and then move to another–and the second app is likely to be the default for that process rather than one the user consciously selects at that moment. Links, contacts, documents, multimedia files and commands such as calling or sharing all use the relevant default. Once it manages to become the default, an app secures a crucial place on the home screen and in users’ daily workflows.

Among web browsers, Google Chrome dominates on the desktop today because millions of people have made it their default (after being prompted to do so when they first install it). iOS, however, is a different matter, because Apple is able to control how easy it is to change your default browser from its own Safari to something else. Unsurprisingly the firm makes this as tricky as it thinks it can get away with.

Default apps control data flows, user preferences and service integration, and thus influence the attractiveness of other third-party applications. Those that are considered default have permanent access to metadata, and can better customize advertising and services and retain their customers.

How switching works, and how difficult it remains

In theory, iPhone owners are free to change default apps as they please. In reality, however, switching is still more difficult than in Android.

Apple’s requirement that the change must be explicitly confirmed by the user and that the app must be set individually for each category (Email, Messaging, Calling, Browser, and so on) can be confusing and off-putting for less tech-savvy users. Worse, iOS often quietly reverts to the original default app after a major software update–a nuisance that makes switching a test of patience, especially for browsers and email.

The legality of all this can be confusing as well. Since the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force in the EU, it’s been mandatory in that region for users to be given a choice of web browsers. But this is not the case for other services.

The future: Apple remains the gatekeeper

iPhone owners being given the right to choose alternative default apps is an important step towards openness, but in reality it can feel more like a symbolic than a practical victory. Especially when it comes to core functions such as calling and messaging, the choice remains limited, while app developers face strict requirements. Holding the sole right to decide which apps get the entitlement to become a default app, Apple is able to maintain its control over the platform and limit the influx of new options.

Users with very specific workflows or team structures can benefit hugely from trying out alternative default apps. Especially in the area of email apps and web browsers, there’s a lot to be gained here. But for the general public, switching apps is often nothing more than a fun experiment. Despite regulatory developments, the power remains with Apple.