iPhone users can delete App Store with iOS 18.2 but only in Europe

Apple has finally implemented the changes announced for iOS as part of compliance to Digital Markets Act that came into effect in the European Union earlier this year. The latest iOS 18.2 beta update allows users in the region to delete the App Store – Apple’s one-stop solution for downloading apps, games, and everything else. In addition, users can also delete Safari and other native apps that could not be uninstalled previously.

The iOS 18.2 beta – available only to developers currently – allows users to replace Apple ’s default app for camera, web browsing, and downloading apps or games with third-party counterparts. That means iPhone users can delete the App Store, Camera, Safari, Messages, and Photos and install apps from different developers to handle their respective functionalities. iOS 18.2 beta also brings a new menu, making it easier for users in the EU to select default apps for each functionality. It has options to set the default email app, messages app, calls app, web browser, password manager, and even the keyboard.

This is a requirement currently in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act. Previous beta builds of iOS 18 enabled users to delete native apps, such as Calculator, Music, Calendar, and Notes.

The most important change is the App Store, which is Apple ’s marquee application through which it distributes apps and earns a commission on each purchase. The ability to rely on a different app would deprive Apple of the control it has on iOS apps and purchases made in them. Users in the EU can download an alternative app marketplace and start downloading apps from it. However, Apple has set up a different mechanism for developers taking that route, requiring them to pay a fee, called the Core Technology Fee, for each first annual install of their app that exceeds one million in a year.