Third-Party Mail and Browser Apps Able to Be Set as Default in iOS and iPadOS 14 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Third-Party Mail and Browser Apps Able to Be Set as Default in iOS and iPadOS 14

In iOS and iPadOS 14, users will be able to set a third-party app as the default mail or browser app for the first time, a major change that iOS users have been wanting for years now.

safari chrome ios
Apple didn't mention the new feature on stage, but it is included on the Preview website for the update.

Set default email and browser apps. With iOS 14, you can set a third‑party app as the default email or browser app systemwide.

With this option, iPhone and iPad users who prefer third-party email apps like Spark or Edison or third-party browsers like Chrome or Opera will be able to use those by default when tapping on links that compose mail messages or open browser windows.

Apple has been criticized for forcing iOS users to use its built-in Safari and Mail apps, with no option to change those defaults, so this should be a welcome change for those who prefer third-party apps to Apple's own apps.

Apple also plans to allow third-party music services to be used on the HomePod for the first time.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
HomePod mini and Apple TV Sage

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Remain 'Ready' to Launch

Sunday March 22, 2026 6:33 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled nine new products this month, but the wait continues for the next-generation Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini models. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said new versions of the Apple TV and HomePod mini have been "ready" since last year, but he reiterated that Apple has held off on releasing them until the more personalized version of Siri and other...
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...

Top Rated Comments

75 months ago
How about Spotify as default music app...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
75 months ago
Going to stick with Safari and Mail, but I'm sure this is welcome by a few.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago
We need to be able to set default apps for everything like in Android, not just the mail and browser apps.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago
Hopefully maps next year...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago
Would love to see the same for third-party Camera Apps !
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
75 months ago

Useless. They should let developers use their own engine. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, they’re all Safari with a skin

Nice! Would be even better if other browsers could bring their own engines in with them, but this is good to see. Quite a day for announcements. Really feels like Apple is firing on all cylinders as far as focusing on all these different OS's at once. (I also expect them to be rough with bugs because of the amount of changes, but these changes are fantastic)
Genuinely curious why you guys want this? You get the user experience without any downsides of those engines, such as slow JS rendering and poor battery life. This has been proven in many tests.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)