He iOS 18.2 public release is just around the corner and, in addition to a new batch of Apple Intelligence functions, this update presents a novelty that had not been announced by those from Cupertino, but that has been discovered in the software code: the possibility of set new default apps on your iPhone.
For a long, long time, Apple phones and their closed ecosystem have offered limited options for selecting new default apps. For example, iOS 14 allowed users to set new defaults for email and the browser, but we haven’t had any significant updates in a while.
That seems to be changing with the new version of the appl operating systemand.
iOS 18.2 makes it easy to use your iPhone
In iOS 18.2the range of categories for default apps gets larger and, at least in the beta, you can set new presets from one place. After updating, you just have to open the Settings app and then navigate to Applications, where you will find a new menu: Default apps.
Manage which apps your iPhone will automatically use to send emails, browse the web, and more.
Within this section of the iOS settings You will find the option to configure default applications in eight different categories:
- Email: Choose the application that will be used to compose new emails.
- Messaging: Choose the default app to chat with your friends and family.
- Calls: You now have the option to select which app to use to make phone calls.
- Call filtering: You can also set an app to filter and identify calls.
- Browser application: Now you will have to go to this menu to select your default browser.
- Passwords and codes: In this case, multiple options are allowed to automatically complete credentials, with options for verification and QR code configuration.
- Contactless application: Select the application that will open automatically when using NFC with contactless readers.
- Keyboards: Choose the keyboard you want to use on your iPhone.
It is true that some of these functions were already available lost between different menus of iOS settingsbut now you will find them all in one place, as happens on Android. Besides, iOS 18.2 introduces three brand new categories: Messaging, Calls and Contactless Application.
This way, when you click on a link to an email, phone number or web address, the default application you have chosen will be used, not making it mandatory to use Mail, Messages, Safari, Wallet, etc., the classic default apps that have always accompanied you on your iPhone.
Obviously, in order to use them, you first have to have them downloaded. That is, if you do not have any third-party applications installed in a specific category, only the third-party applications will be displayed there. Apple’s own applications. However, when you download alternatives from the App Store, those apps will become available in the Default Apps section as new options.
If you want to try this new feature for your iPhone, you can try the iOS 18.2 betabut it will soon reach the final stable version.
