iPhone owners could soon finally choose a default navigation app, but there's a catch

Apple has been making big changes to the iPhone of late, not least with the arrival of iOS 17.4. That update allows for third-party app stores and browser engines in the European Union, among other things, but that isn't the end of Apple's new features. Those changes were made in order to allow Apple to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, and there are more changes afoot.

Apple says that it will continue to make changes to iOS and the iPhone in order to better comply with DMA requirements, although they won't all need to be made any time soon. One of the changes that Apple has already confirmed is support for changing the default navigation app, but it won't arrive until March 2025 the company has confirmed.

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9to5Mac spotted the reference in a new Apple document that outlines its plans to comply with the DMA. Apple says that it plans to introduce new default controls for users of navigation apps with the option set to live in the Settings app. However, Apple only aims to have that new option available by March 2025, which means we could be waiting almost a year for it to arrive.

There's also the additional catch that we don't know if this option will also arrive globally, but it seems unlikely unless something changes.

Apple also confirmed that it will be working to make it easier for users to switch from an iPhone to another device while taking their data with them. The new data portability features are also expected by the end of 2024 or early 2025.