EU iPhones: Apple releases more apps for uninstallation

An iPhone (almost) without Apple apps? This will soon be possible in the EU thanks to the DMA digital law. For Apple, this is a turning point.

Users of Apple’s iPhones and iPads in the EU will soon be able to delete more of the company’s apps from their devices. These include the App Store, the SMS replacement Messages, the Safari web browser and the Camera and Photos apps. The only Apple apps that cannot be deleted are those for settings and phone calls.

There will also be a new section in the Settings app where users can select third-party services as the default application for individual functions instead of the default Apple apps.

For example, you will be able to specify a different app than the one from Apple for making calls. The same applies to password storage and keyboards, among other things. In spring 2025, Apple announced that it will also be possible to select other standard applications for navigation and translations.

When it comes to the web browser, users of Apple’s Safari will have to decide once again by the end of the year on each device what their default program for surfing the web should be.

A cut for Apple

The changes are based on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Among other things, it stipulates that large platform operators may not give their own offerings preferential treatment over competitor apps.

For Apple, it is a cut in its long-standing business model: the company always emphasizes the advantage of its technology that hardware and software are particularly well coordinated. Service revenues from subscription services and app fees have also become increasingly important for Apple: last quarter, they accounted for more than a quarter of global revenue at 24.2 billion dollars.

dpa