iPhone, iPad Users Will Finally Be Able to Set Default Apps for Browser, Email With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

iOS 14 brings a host of new features like widgets, an app drawer, new icons, and more, along with the ability to change some default apps.

By Vineet Washington | Updated: 23 June 2020 11:14 IST

Highlights

iOS 14, iPadOS 14 allows users to set mail and browser default apps
This development was announced at WWDC 2020
As of now, only email and browser apps have got this feature

iPhone, iPad Users Will Finally Be Able to Set Default Apps for Browser, Email With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

Apple says public betas for new OS are coming soon

iPhone and iPad users will now be able to change the default email and browser apps with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. This development was revealed during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020 online event where a lot of announcements were made and details were shared about the upcoming next iteration of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and more. While this particular feature was not detailed during the event, it was part of the slides showing off all the new features in the new operating system.

During the keynote, Apple detailed a lot of the new features coming to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, as well as shared information about the upcoming macOS 11 Big Sur. One announcement that sort of went under the radar was the ability to set a default browser and email app on iPhones and iPads. With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, users will be able to set a default app for their browser and email that will not have to be Safari or Apple Mail app.

This means users will now be able to click on a link and have it open in Chrome, Firefox or any other browser app that they like, instead of having to use Safari by default. Similarly, with emails, users will now be able to use Gmail or Outlook to open email links by default.

Apple's iOS 14 Preview page mentions in the Settings section, “Set a default web browser and email app that launch when you click a link or want to compose a new mail message.” Additionally, as per a report by The Verge, underlying browsing engine for third-party browsers will still need to be Apple's WebKit. So, while the core functioning will be the same as Safari (based on WebKit), user interface and syncing options of third party browsers will be unique.

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 public beta is coming soon, as per Apple's website. Not just that, the company will also be releasing public betas for macOS Big Sur, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7.

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