Default apps updates

Learn about the latest changes to enabling your app to be the system default.

Overview

Build apps and extensions that people can configure as the default app for many common tasks. Browse entitlements that enable your apps to declare that they can be set as the system default.

Use openSettingsURLString to link directly to your app’s settings, including the Default App option, where applicable. The openDefaultApplicationsSettingsURLString option in UIKit opens the global Default Apps settings panel.

December 2025

Users in Japan can select a default navigation app and a default alternative app marketplace.

Read Preparing your app to be the default navigation app to see how to register your app to be the default responder for navigation requests.
Read Participating in alternative distribution for specific regions to see how to build an alternative app marketplace for iOS to distribute in Japan.

June 2025

Dialing apps

New API in LiveCommunicationKit lets users choose your app as the default for initiating cellular carrier conversations. Read Preparing your app to be the default dialer app to see how to set this up using the Default Dialer App entitlement. Your app has access to conversation history that happened since it became the default, and no longer requires user confirmation to initiate a connection.

SMS, RCS, and MMS messaging apps

The new TelephonyMessagingKit framework enables your app send SMS, RCS, and MMS messages over the cellular carrier network. Use the Default Carrier Messaging App entitlement to declare your app as the default handler for these carrier messages.

2025

Read Preparing your app to be the default navigation app to see how to register your app to be the default responder to navigation requests for users in the European Union. This article explains how to use the geo-navigation:// URL scheme to handle navigation queries the user initiates from other apps.

Translation apps

Learn about Preparing your app to be the default translation app so that your translation app can respond to user requests to perform text translation.

2024

Alternative app marketplaces

Alternative app marketplace apps for iOS or iPadOS enable users to install other third-party apps in the European Union. Developers can distribute their marketplace app on the web, and users can then select the alternative marketplace as their default, if desired. Apple provides the MarketplaceKit framework that facilitates the secure installation of apps that your marketplace distributes. Read Creating an alternative app marketplace to learn how to build your own marketplace.

Learn about the com.apple.developer.marketplace.app-installation entitlement used by alternative app marketplaces.
Read Distributing your app from your website to learn how to ship the alternative app marketplace.

Calling apps

In iOS and iPadOS 18.2 and later, a user may select an app other than the Phone or FaceTime apps to place calls. If your app places phone calls, for instance using services such as Voice over IP (VoIP), and you wish to optionally become the default calling app, see Preparing your app to be the default calling app.

Contactless NFC and SE platform apps

iOS 18.1 introduced APIs that support secure contactless transactions within compatible iOS apps using the NFC & SE Platform for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be available at a later date.

The NFC & SE Platform is a secure solution developed by Apple that enables authorized developers to provide capabilities, such as securely adding, storing, and presenting a contactless card for NFC use cases, from within their iOS app. Supported NFC and SE platform apps can be selected by users as their default handler for these transactions.

To learn more about the NFC and SE Platform see https://developer.apple.com/support/nfc-se-platform/.
Manage and employ Secure Element credentials with contactless transaction capabilities using SecureElementCredential
Enable your app to be the default app for contactless NFC and SE Platform transactions with the com.apple.developer.secure-element-credential.default-contactless-app entitlement.

HCE-based contactless transactions for apps

iOS 17.4 introduced APIs that support contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, tickets, and more uses from within compatible iOS apps using host card emulation (HCE) in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The CardSession API in the CoreNFC framework enables authorized developers to perform contactless transactions from within their app. Supported CardSession apps can be selected by users as their default handler for these transactions.

Learn about host card emulation apps by reading https://developer.apple.com/support/hce-transactions-in-apps/.
Use CardSession to enable host card emulation (HCE) transactions in your app.
Enable your app to be the default app for HCE-based contactless NFC with the com.apple.developer.nfc.hce.default-contactless-app entitlement.

Messaging apps

In iOS and iPadOS 18.2 and later, a user may select an app other than the Messages app to send instant messages. The system launches the default messaging app to handle when a user taps an im: link from another app. Preparing your app to be the default messaging app describes how to enable your app to optionally be selected as the default.

2023 and earlier

Call Directory app extensions

Build a Call Directory app extension so a user’s device can automatically use your app to look up incoming callers, present useful caller ID information, or block unwanted callers. Read Identifying and blocking calls for more information on creating these app extensions.

You can specify that your Call Directory app extension adds identification and blocks phone numbers in its implementation of beginRequest(with:).
To block incoming calls for a specific phone number, use the addBlockingEntry(withNextSequentialPhoneNumber:) method in the implementation of beginRequest(with:).

Keyboard apps

Use custom keyboard apps and extensions to replace the system keyboard for users that want different text-entry capabilities, such as a novel input method. People can choose to have this custom keyboard available systemwide, and select the default keyboard used in text fields. Read Creating a custom keyboard for information on how to build and configure your custom keyboard app and extension project.

For more information on handling expected system behaviors in your custom keyboard, see Configuring a custom keyboard interface

Mail apps

The system launches the default mail client whenever a user opens a mailto: link. Signal your app’s intent to be available as a default mail client by using the com.apple.developer.mail-client entitlement.

Password, credential, and verification code apps

Password managers, verification code providers, and other secure credential apps can include a Password AutoFill app extension to enable their app to automatically fill in a name and password within Safari and other apps.

Register the otpauth:// or otpauth-migration:// URL scheme within your app to enable setup of verification codes.
Use Xcode to add a new extension target of type AutoFill Credential Provider to your app’s project to enable AutoFill for secure credentials throughout the system.
For your app and app extension, use AutoFill Credential Provider Entitlement to ask someone for permission to fill in the credentials.

Web browser apps

Users can select an app to be their default web browser. To make your app available as the default browser app, confirm that your app meets the requirements below, then request a managed entitlement. See Preparing your app to be the default web browser to learn more.

In iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the isDefault(_:) API allows a browser app to check if it is currently the default browser app. To reduce the likelihood that users will face continuous requests to set a browser as their default, this API will only tell the browser app if it is the default once per year.
See Importing data exported from Safari to see how your browser app can import data the user exported from Safari.
Use the com.apple.developer.web-browser entitlement to enable your app to be the default web browser.