iOS 18.4 will let EU iPhone owners set default navigation and translation apps
Apple’s upcoming iOS 18.4 update might permit iPhone owners in the European Union (EU) to set default apps for navigation and translation.
You can already change many app defaults on your iPhone, but not the default navigation (Apple Maps) and translation (Apple Translate) apps. However, that’s about to change soon. In fact, Apple hinted as much in its November 2024 compliance report dealing with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. “In spring 2025, Apple will add support for setting defaults for navigation apps and translation,” it reads.
The feature is nowhere to be found in iOS 18.3, which is currently being tested. However, as MacRumors notes, iOS 18.4 is expected to arrive in April, suggesting that the new navigation and translation defaults will drop around April 2025.
iOS 18.4 may enable changing default navigation and translation apps on European iPhones
With these upcoming options, iPhone owners living in the 27 EU member states will be able to set a compatible third-party app like Google Maps or Waze as the default navigation app. Similarly, they’ll be able to set Google Translate or Microsoft Translator as the default translation app instead of Apple’s built-in Translate app.
Changing navigation and translation defaults will have other repercussions. For example, links with embedded GPS coordinates will no longer open in Apple Maps. The option to translate the selected text will bring up a third-party interface instead of the standard Apple Translate overlay.
What happens when you change app defaults?
iOS 18.2 added a new Default Apps section in Settings > Apps for all iPhone owners globally to change default apps for email, messaging, calling (and call filtering), web browsing, typing, contactless transactions and passwords (and verification codes).
Changing one of the supported default apps tells the operating system to use the app you selected instead. For example, changing the default web browser to Chrome will make Chrome open all URLs, including links in apps that open in an embedded web view. Or, if you change the default email app to Gmail, the Gmail app will open instead of the built-in Mail app when you click a mailto: link.
When payment apps like PayPal or Revolut implement this functionality, you’ll be able to use them for contactless transactions, and their interface will appear instead of Apple Pay when you double-press the side button.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/01/09/apple-ios-18-4-iphone-default-navigation-translation-apps-iphone-european-union/
Leave a Reply