Apple continues to fine-tune its efforts to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). On Thursday, the iPhone maker announced a further set of changes, showing off a redesigned browser selection screen that will be coming to iOS and iPadOS “later this year” in version 18 of its mobile software platform.
The tweaked browser selection screen now displays a toolbar to the left of the list, allowing users to select a browser directly from the selection screen, and then when they scroll through the full options list, that browser will be pinned to the top of the list.
Another change is that users now have to scroll through the full list of available browsers, but these are still just the top 12 browsers available in the country, in random order. There's also a bit more information shown for each browser, and Apple will pull app subtitles from their App Store product pages.
Once the user confirms their choice, if they selected a default browser that's already installed on their phone, the app will open immediately and show a notification confirming that it's now the default, and it will automatically replace Safari in the dock with the browser's app icon (if there's Safari in that slot).
If the user selects a default browser that is not already installed on the device, the download will start automatically at the moment of confirmation and once the download is complete, it will open automatically with a confirmation notification indicating that it has become the default.
Another, and perhaps bigger, change is that the choice screen will start appearing more frequently. Apple will show the choice screen on all devices where an iOS or iPadOS user has Safari as the default, so you'll likely see the choice screen more frequently instead of just once per user.
Currently, when a user updates to iOS 17.4, the choice screen only appears the first time the user opens Safari on the device. However, if the user updates to iOS 18 and Safari is the default browser, the choice screen will appear again. When users move to a new device where Safari is still the default, the choice will appear again.
Additionally, Apple has announced changes to default apps for EU users, including a new central setting that lets you see a list of all available default apps.
Apple said that in further updates to its mobile platforms, most of which are scheduled for later this year, it will expand the list to include new default settings for dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, the keyboard and call spam filters. (Navigation and translation app defaults are planned for spring 2025.)
Later this year, Apple plans to allow EU users to remove more default apps, including the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera and Safari.
The company says that users will be able to re-download any defaults they removed from the App Store or app installation sections of Settings (presumably if Apple's store is no longer present on the device).
Most of the changes are expected to be introduced later this year (though Apple hasn't said an exact start date), and are likely intended to address criticism that the current design of the browser choice screen makes it difficult to switch from Safari and doesn't meet Apple's broader user choice obligations under the DMA.
As the designated gatekeeper under EU-wide regulations, Apple faces the threat of stiff fines for non-compliance (starting at up to 10% of its annual global turnover) while having to open up the mobile ecosystem in a number of ways that the EU hopes will increase competition and consumer choice.
The European Union launched its first DMA investigation into Apple in March, which included scrutiny of the design of its browser choice screen and its broader user choice obligations. Since then, the European Commission, which enforces the DMA, has published preliminary findings of a separate Apple investigation related to Apple's App Store anti-steering rules. But the choice obligation investigation has not been publicly announced.
Apple hopes that this new set of changes will allow it to resolve EU enforcement without the risk of a blanket non-compliance finding (and the associated hefty fines).
Because the European Union is keen for regulations to deliver swift results, the DMA gives the Commission some leeway to embrace remedies proposed by gatekeepers to address their concerns without resorting to the full range of enforcement tools.
When the European Commission announced its initial DMA investigation into Apple in March, it said it was concerned about Apple's compliance with its DMA obligations to “(i) allow end users to easily uninstall any software applications on iOS; (ii) allow end users to easily change default settings on iOS; and (iii) present users with a choice screen enabling them to effectively and easily select alternative default services, such as browsers and search engines on their iPhone.”
“The Commission is concerned that Apple's measures, including the design of its web browser's choice screen, may infringe Article 6(3) of the DMA and prevent users from truly exercising a choice of services within the Apple ecosystem,” it added at the time.
The EU has since designated iPadOS a separate “core platform service” under DMA, which is why Apple's changes apply to both mobile platforms.
Apple spoke to reporters today about the latest DMA adjustments, saying it believes the changes address the EC's concerns. The company said it is incorporating feedback from stakeholders and views this iterative process as part of an ongoing compliance dialogue.
European Commission spokeswoman Lee Zuber confirmed that the EU's investigation into Apple's choice obligations is still ongoing. “While there are no remedies available under the DMA, Gatekeeper and the European Commission are working together on a compliance solution,” she added.