I’m an iPhone consumer within the European Union, which suggests I can profit from all of the perks that the European Fee has compelled on Apple. I’ve entry to third-party App Retailer alternate options, third-party cost programs, sideloading, and all the things else the Digital Markets Act (DMA) imposed on Apple. However I need none of that, and I’m not really utilizing any of those so-called perks. I’m certain I’m not the one iPhone consumer within the area who needs nothing to do with these adjustments.
Additionally, I’m not too enthusiastic about changing any of the default iPhone apps with alternate options, and I hate the very existence of the browser selection screens, which I’ve to undergo each time I modify iPhones. I say that as a tech-savvy consumer who is aware of I can set up no matter browser I need on the iPhone. The identical goes for all kinds of apps I’d need as a substitute of default choices, even when they don’t behave like default apps.
I point out all that so that you perceive my fairly conservative method to iPhone software program, but in addition to inform you that I’ve lastly discovered the one app that I’d think about using as a substitute of the iPhone’s default. That’s Google Maps, which may be set because the iPhone’s default navigation app as a substitute of Apple Maps.
Of all of the Google apps, Google Maps is well the one I take advantage of most. It’s how I seek for companies and navigate new locations I journey to. Google Maps has acquired a number of privateness upgrades over time, together with an enormous change in how the app tracks your location. That makes it a fair higher navigation software, at the least for this iPhone consumer.
That’s to not say that Apple Maps isn’t an excellent navigation app or that it’s not price protecting because the iPhone’s default, as a result of it’s. Nevertheless, I’ve simply gotten so used to Google Maps being my go-to navigation app that Apple Maps is a distant second.
To set Google Maps because the default navigation app on iPhone, you’ll have to be an iPhone consumer within the EU with iOS 18.4 in your iPhone. When you meet the necessities, you’re only a few steps away from changing Apple Maps with Google Maps.
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll right down to Apps
- Faucet the Default Apps menu on the high
- Search for Navigation (picture above)
- Choose Google Maps as a substitute of Apple Maps (picture beneath)
That’s all it is advisable to do to make Google Maps the default navigation app in your iPhone. Presumably, different navigation apps will seem within the listing, so you possibly can swap to one thing else. It would take time for builders to replace their apps, nonetheless. For instance, I’ve Waze put in on my iPhone, and all apps are up to date to the most recent variations. However Waze doesn’t present up as an choice.
The advantages of getting Google Maps because the default navigation app concern the power to open all location-related hyperlinks instantly in Google’s app, whether or not in messages, paperwork, or web sites. This characteristic does actually the one factor for you, changing the necessity to copy and paste info from one place to the following.
My preferences apart, Apple ought to permit iPhone customers worldwide to decide on what default apps to make use of for navigation and different key options. Preventing this shedding battle solely erodes Apple’s picture. Ultimately, extra regulators will drive Apple to open the iPhone just like the EU did.
