Apple will allow you to assign your own default email and browser apps in iOS 14

iOS 14

In the past, Apple has taken its share of critcism for originally not allowing users to remove default system applications as well as for the inability to set third-party apps as those defaults. Previously, Apple slightly acquiesced, allowing users to remove unneeded system applications such as the Watch app or Home app.

With iOS 14, Apple has gone a step further. Now within settings, users are able to set their own preference for both web browsers as well as email clients.

That means users who prefer Spark, Gmail, Outlook, Edison, Polymail, or the newly-approved Hey are able to choose one of those apps as the default rather than Apple's own Mail. The same goes for Safari where users are able to replace it with Chrome or another third-party offering.

When a link to draft an email or open a website is tapped, those new defaults will now launch instead of Mail or Safari.

Users have clamored for this for a while, also asking to set default photo, calendar, camera, and others for a while.

Apple has also now allowed third-party devices to appear inside of the Find My app with iOS 14, an app that previously was restricted to only Apple devices.