This fall, the iPhone will undergo two massive transformations that will fragment it in ways previously thought impossible. First, Apple Intelligence will only run on iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro models, which means your iOS 18 experience will differ depending on your hardware.
Second, the European Union (EU) is getting its own iPhone update that has nothing to do with hardware or Apple Intelligence. On that note, Apple Intelligence isn’t even coming to supported devices in Europe when the US and the rest of the world will get it.
I’m talking about sideloading apps on the iPhone, using third-party App Store alternatives, and even replacing default iPhone apps with other options.
This EU iPhone experience is the “fun” one. That’s what you’ll hear about it. It’s probably the iPhone experience Apple will have to courageously offer worldwide sooner than later.
But I’m certain many iPhone users will prefer not to go for the fun experience. I say that as a European with access to the fun EU iPhone: I want none of the changes coming to iOS because regulators wanted them.
I explained time and again why iPhone sideloading, third-party app marketplaces, and third-party payment systems aren’t in my future. I can get them, yes, but I won’t. Instead, I want the security, privacy, reliability, and convenience of having Apple manage all that for me when it comes to app access and payments for the computer I used the most in my life.
But I get that other people want it, here in Europe and abroad. Apple should let them use the iPhone as they see fit. While I side with Apple on its stance on sideloading on iPhone, Apple’s refusal to bring the EU iPhone experience to the rest of the world will only generate bad publicity and more attention from other regulators.
Deleting default iPhone apps
In addition, Apple recently announced that EU iPhone users can also change multiple app defaults on their iPhones, including the App Store, Messages app, Photos, Camera, and Safari.
I’m going to tell you I’m never going to change these defaults. It all has to do with how I use the iPhone, and how I want to use the iPhone in the future.
I’ll never delete the App Store and replace it with anything else. I don’t think other people will do it, either. Third-party app marketplaces will never get the same amount of apps as the App Store. And you’ll need it for both app downloads and updates.
As for Messages, I have three types of contacts on my iPhone: those I talk to via iMessage, those I talk to via WhatsApp (or another third-party app), and those I talk to via multiple chat apps.
I hardly get any SMS texts, and the ones that I do are notifications from delivery services or two-factor authentication codes. But I’ll never trust any company but the device manufacturer with managing default messaging, so I can’t delete the Messages apps either.
Of course, RCS is coming to the iPhone. But most of my contacts will not reach me that way. I won’t have to change anything to make RCS happen except flipping a switch.
Safari is my iPhone browser. It’s the best choice for privacy-conscious individuals; no other browser can match it. I don’t use Safari for work on the Mac, so I do have a syncing problem. But it’s not as complicated as it sounds. I’ll never give Safari up on the iPhone.
Next up are the Camera and Photos app. Never in a million years will I delete those on the iPhone, let alone remove them as defaults. It has to do with both privacy and functionality. I’ll trust Apple with the security of my photos and with backups to iCloud or transfers to the Mac. Moreover, I’m eying the iPhone 16’s Capture button, whose functionality will cater to Apple’s Camera app before anything else.
I also suspect it’ll be a lot easier for Apple Intelligence to work on iPhone and iPad when Apple’s apps above act as defaults. And yes, I will want the smarter Siri to have access to my data to provide assistance using information from it.
What I’m getting at is that I already own the fun iPhone in Europe, and I don’t have to make any changes to it.
But, as with sideloading above, I do understand some people will want to replace some of these apps with others. I’m sure they’ll have arguments as valid as mine.
I also think the majority of people will stick with the current experience. But Apple should not be afraid to bring the “fun” iPhone to all the markets it serves.
