A document outlining Apple’s compliance with the Digital Markets Act also announced plans to let iPhone users uninstall Safari and change the default navigation app.
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Apple is preparing to allow EU-based iPhone users to uninstall its first-party Safari browser by the end of 2024 and is working on a more “user-friendly” way of transferring data “from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone” by fall 2025. That’s according to a new compliance document published by the company, which outlines all the ways it’s complying with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act that comes into force this week.
Other user-facing initiatives detailed in Apple’s document include a “browser switching solution” to transfer data between browsers on the same device, which it plans to make available by late 2024 or early 2025. It’ll also be possible to change the default navigation app on iOS by March 2025 in the EU.
The document doesn’t explicitly state whether any of these features will be available globally or whether they’ll be exclusive to users in the EU (we’ve reached out to clarify). But many of the company’s previously announced plans to comply with the DMA — including the ability to run browser engines other than WebKit and install third-party app stores — are only available in the bloc.
Apple’s document describes the phone data transfer feature as “a solution that helps mobile operating system providers develop more user-friendly solutions to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone.” It says that plans for the feature will build on existing migration tools that are already offered by other companies.
Google already offers an iOS app called “Switch to Android” for transferring data, including contacts, photos and videos, free apps, texts, and notes. But Google’s support document about the process highlights some phone data that won’t carry over, including paid apps, Safari bookmarks, Alarms, and other miscellaneous files. Presumably, Apple’s new solution could help fill in some of the gaps.
