#default navigation app

Starting with iOS 18.4, EU-based iPhone users can now set Google Maps as their default navigation app—something users outside the region still can’t do. Once the new iOS update hits public release—expected in the coming days—users in the EU will be able to change their default navigation app in a new section found in Settings > Apps > Default Apps. When this option is enabled, any address tapped on the web or in other apps will open directly in Google Maps instead of Apple’s own navigation tool. Unlike Apple’s earlier moves to allow users worldwide to set default apps for email, browser, and keyboard, this specific update for navigation apps is EU-only. If you live outside the EU—even if you're running iOS 18.4—you won’t be able to set Google Maps or any other third-party app as your default for navigation just yet. The change follows another DMA-driven update just one day earlier: WhatsApp now allows EU iPhone users to set it as the default app for calls and texts, taking over functions previously locked to Apple’s Phone and Messages apps. Besides navigation, the iOS Default Apps menu also now lets users set third-party apps for other core services like calls, messages, email, translation, password management, payments (region-specific), and more. Read more in our articles including "You Can Now Set Google Maps as Your Default Navigation App – But Only in the EU" and "Apple App Store now permits game emulators globally".