Custom Mail and Browser Defaults

If you’re a fan of Apple’s own first-party Safari and Mail apps, this won’t seem like a big deal to you, but those who prefer to use other browsers like Chrome are going to really appreciate the fact that iOS 14 will finally let you do what every other desktop and mobile platform has permitted for years — set a different default browser and email app.

This is another feature that fits into the “What took Apple so long?” category, especially considering that you could delete the built-in Mail app as far back as iOS 10, yet you still couldn’t define an alternative — tapping on an email link would still ask you to reinstall Apple’s own default Mail app.

This change will be a welcome breath of fresh air for those who want to use alternative apps for mail and browsing, and may actually encourage some users to explore other possibilities, and in the same spirit of openness from Apple, it looks like the HomePod will also be gaining the ability to default to other music services.