What you need to know
- iPhone users in the EU will be able to replace Apple Maps with their preferred navigation app starting next year.
- The change is part of Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act, and it is likely to come with iOS 18.
- While Google is expected to introduce a similar feature for Google Maps and Waze in the EU, no official confirmation has been provided by the company.
Starting next year, iPhone users in the EU will have the option to replace Apple Maps as their default navigation app.
The upcoming change is part of Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act, a set of rules that tech giants in the region—known as “gatekeepers"—must follow. These companies include Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok's owner, ByteDance.
These companies could face fines as high as 20% of their yearly global earnings for multiple violations. Europe is taking the lead globally in trying to keep the big tech companies in check. In response, the tech giants are making some adjustments, albeit not always with open arms. Apple, for example, is letting you install apps from places other than its App Store.
A few days ago, the Cupertino-based tech giant published a compliance document stating that iPhone users will be able to smoothly transfer data from their current phones to Android.
Additionally, you will be able to finally set your favorite navigation app as the default on your iPhone starting in March 2025, as spotted by 9to5Mac.
Currently, Apple Maps is the default navigation app on iPhones. Soon, you'll have the freedom to make Google Maps or any other navigation service your go-to default.
Google is expected to roll out the same feature for Google Maps and Waze, at least in the EU. However, as of now, there's been no official word from the company.
Apple's change is probably arriving with iOS 18, but it looks like this update might be an EU exclusive. The DMA is also taking aim at a bunch of services, from operating systems to messaging apps.
Apple's DMA Compliance Report is a bit vague on the details. It doesn't mention whether these features are going global or staying exclusive to EU users. However, if history is any guide, many of Apple's DMA-compliant services tend to stick to the EU market.
