Apple will let everyone set new default phone and messaging apps with iOS 18.2

When Apple said that iPhone owners successful the EU would beryllium capable to acceptable caller default apps for things similar calling and messaging, it sounded a batch similar only radical successful the EU would get that option.

That’s not the case, though: a enactment connected Apple’s developer website states that each users worldwide tin acceptable caller default apps for calling and messaging successful iOS 18.2. Maybe the continental disagreement betwixt iPhones successful the US and EU won’t beryllium truthful wide aft all.

The archetypal iOS 18.2 developer beta went retired today, and it didn’t instrumentality agelong for 9to5Mac to spot the caller options. There’s a full caller conception successful the settings paper dedicated to managing default apps. This includes defaults you could already reassign, similar your browser oregon email app. Other options see telephone filtering, passwords, and keyboards. Crucially, this aforesaid database of options appears for users successful the US who person downloaded the beta.

But the large stuff, similar enactment for alternate app stores and browser engines, has mostly been confined to the EU. A broadside effect is that a European iPhone was starting to look rather a spot antithetic from 1 successful the US, which was weird. But by spreading immoderate of these caller options crossed borders, Apple volition support amended consistency successful its product. At the precise least, it’s a small much fun.