Apple will let EU users set Google Maps as the default navigation app on iPhone

Ben Schoon | Mar 8 2024 - 6:30 am PT

Setting default apps is commonplace on Android, but over on iOS, Apple has historically made this difficult. Over time, users have been given the ability to set default browser apps and make other tweaks, but starting next year, Apple will apparently allow iPhone users to set their default navigation app as something other than Apple Maps, like Google Maps.

As a part of the same report that revealed Apple is working to improve the ability to transfer data from iPhone to Android, our sister site 9to5Mac also highlighted that Apple has confirmed that the iPhone will soon allow users to set a default navigation app.

Apple explains:

Apple also plans to introduce a new default control for users in Settings for navigation apps. Apple aims to make this solution available by March 2025.

The change is likely to arrive in iOS 18, but is also probably a change that will be exclusive to EU users. As the EU’s Digital Markets Act has taken effect, Apple has been quite clear that the changes being made to comply with the new legal requirements will not affect the rest of the globe. Other changes include allowing for third-party app stores and app sideloading, but only in the EU.

As for what apps will support becoming a default navigation app on iPhone, that remains to be seen, but it’s only logical that any navigation app on the platform would add the option. Google, for its part, will surely adopt the functionality for Google Maps and Waze, but no official announcements have been made.