Smartphones these days come with many excellent app options built right into the OS. Often, however, we need to download our own third-party apps, whether for work or personal use. Luckily, both platforms let us choose default apps, so we can use whichever apps we like at all times.
It can be frustrating to choose an option on your smartphone, such as opening a web link, only for the system to open an app you don’t want to use. If you prefer Firefox to Chrome or Safari, for example, you want your iPhone or Android to open links in Firefox every time, not just when you’re using the app.
On Android, the process for choosing default apps is simple: just head to Settings > Apps > Default apps. Here, you’ll be able to set the default apps for many situations, such as web browser, phone call app, and home app.
On iOS and iPadOS, things are a little different. The two main default app options are your web browser and your mail app. To choose a new default web browser or email app, open Settings, then scroll down until you find the app you want to use. Tap it, then choose “Default Browser App” or “Default Mail App,” depending on which type of app you’re setting up. Now, just select your app from the list, and you’re all set.
There is a way to set a default music player on iOS, albeit less definitively. Just ask Siri to play a song; when the digital assistant asks you which app you’d like to use, choose the one you want as your default. Siri will learn this app is the one you want for audio playback, and will choose it when you ask the assistant to play music in the future.
Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash
