Third-Party Default Email and Browser Apps in iOS 14 Reset After App Updates

With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple allowed users to select third-party apps as the default email app and browser. Last month, a widespread bug reverted these settings to Apple's default apps whenever a user's device was rebooted.

Although that bug was fixed, a new bug in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is now afflicting the selection of third-party email apps and browsers. It appears that whenever a selected third-party app is updated, the default app selection for email app or browser is reset to Apple's Mail or Safari.

ios14 and default gmail feature

The Verge has now confirmed that whenever you update your chosen default app via the App Store in iOS 14.1, it gets removed from the default app slot.

Users should be aware that they will need to re-select their preferences every time a third-party mail app or browser that has been set as default is updated. You may wish to avoid updating your preferred third-party browser or mail app until it is convenient to reselect the default in settings, or until Apple has released a fix.

However, MacRumors understands that the bug may have already been fixed in the iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 betas.

The likes of Chrome, Edge, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox can be set as default browsers, while Gmail, Spark, and Microsoft Outlook can be set as default Mail apps, among others. Users who prefer an alternative to Safari or Apple's native Mail app can choose an alternative and it should be opened automatically whenever the system requires it, providing the app has not recently been updated, that is.

Related Forum: iOS 14

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Top Rated Comments

eicca Avatar
61 months ago
Apple is going kicking and screaming into this changing-default-apps thing...
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dguisinger Avatar
61 months ago
Wow....seriously, no one ever tested past reboot or upgrading an app in all those months iOS 14 was in development?
These are the most basic flaws, its like they weren't even trying
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dguisinger Avatar
61 months ago

Well, seeing as they didn’t have any third-party apps to test it on (the apps couldn’t be updated to iOS 14 until after the 14 GM release) they couldn’t test updating apps.
You don't need a 3rd party app to test it with; you build a simple dummy app in house that doesn't do anything and test that it gets associated and triggered when needed. Thats how software development works, you don't release a feature without testing it.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
61 months ago
Put that neural engine to use, Apple! ?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mnsportsgeek Avatar
61 months ago
"It's a feature" - Apple
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
61 months ago

Can confirm it is fixed in 14.2 beta 4
Now that's a bug!

Don't worry. It'll be fixed in 14.2 beta 5 or the actual release of 14.2
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)