EU iPhone: Replace Google Maps with Apple Maps as the default navigation app
With the latest version of the Google Maps app available in the App Store, EU iPhone owners can set it as their default navigation app instead of Apple Maps.
German-language Macerkopf reports that iPhone owners in the European Union (EU) can now set Google Maps as their default navigation app. Doing so won’t replace the built-in Apple Maps app but instead ensure that location links and GPS coordinates you see on the web, in emails and so forth open in your designated navigation app instead of Apple Maps. Remember, changing the default app for navigation is not possible for iPhone owners who live outside of the EU.
Apple previously said it would introduce a new default control in Settings for navigation for EU iPhone owners to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Indeed, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 brought new defaults for navigation apps in the EU and translation apps everywhere. Both updates will be released soon in April.
EU iPhone owners can change their default navigation app
“In iOS and iPadOS 18.4 and later, a person may select an app other than the Maps app to provide navigation instructions,” says Apple. The company instructs developers to add the ability to become the default navigation app.
Apple says a navigation app must support a custom URL scheme and accept strings such as the source, the destination and one or more waypoints between the starting point and the final destination. These strings can be provided as an address, a place name or latitude and longitude coordinates. To protect user privacy, a third-party app set as a default navigation app won’t receive Apple place IDs, transportation modes or route preferences from the system.
App defaults on iPhone
Other default app controls are available to iPhone owners around the world in the Apps > Default Apps area of the Settings app, including changing the default browser, mail, app marketplace and contactless apps, in addition to app defaults related to calling, messaging, password managers, keyboards, and call spam filters.
Third-party apps must be updated to allow setting them as the default app, and many don’t yet support this feature. For example, a recent WhatsApp update lets you set it as the default app for outgoing calls and texts.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/03/29/apple-european-union-iphone-default-navigation-app-google-maps/
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