Apple Will Let iOS Users in the EU Delete Safari Later This Year

Apple has detailed more upcoming changes to iOS in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act. In a DMA compliance report spotted by The Verge, the company explained that it’s planning to allow iOS users in the EU to uninstall its Safari browser.

This option should become available “by the end of 2024,” Apple said in the compliance document. To ensure compliance with the DMA, Microsoft also had to allow Windows 11 users in the EU to uninstall its Edge browser.

Apple already allows all iOS users to uninstall many apps like Apple Music and Apple Maps, and the company also lets them choose another default browser than Safari. However, the iOS 17.4 update released earlier this week went a bit further for EU users.

First of all, iOS 17.4 introduced a new browser choice screen when users in the EU first open Safari on their iPhones. This lets them choose another default browser and download it from the App Store if it’s not already installed.

Moreover, Apple also authorized iOS developers to implement alternative browser engines in the EU. However, developers will first need to request and obtain a “Web Browser Engine Entitlement” from Apple” that will ensure that their alternative browser engines meet certain security and privacy criteria.

Both Google and Firefox announced last year that they were working on new iOS browsers powered by Blink and Gecko, respectively. While we have yet to hear any news about these new mobile browsers, more choices in browser engines on iOS will be good for competition and security. Because yes, all browsers on iOS using the same Webkit engine means that you can’t choose a more secure alternative if Apple happens to be slow to fix any security flaws in WebKit.

Apple’s DMA compliance document also mentions other upcoming changes to iOS in the EU, including more data portability features. The company said that a data transfer solution for web browsers on the same device will be available by late 2024/early 2025. Apple is also aiming to release “more user-friendly solutions” to transfer data from an iPhone to an Android phone by fall 2025