Apple considers allowing users to set third-party apps as default on iOS, including Spotify

Apple is considering third-party apps that play a more important role on iPhones and iPads, and opening the HomePod speaker to third-party music streaming services after criticizing the company for favoring it, giving an unfair advantage to "home made" products.

The tech giant is currently discussing whether to allow users to freely select third-party web browsers and email applications to make a default choice on their mobile devices. carriers, replace the Safari browser and Mail apps, or not. Since the App Store launched in 2008, Apple hasn't allowed users to replace pre-installed apps with third-party services. This has made some developers unable to compete, and has raised concerns from lawmakers who have sought to limit antitrust violations in the technology industry.

Web browsers and email are two of the most used applications on iPhone and iPad. To this day, rival browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox, and email applications such as Gmail and Microsoft Outlook, are still unable to compete with Apple products. For example, if a user clicks on a web link sent to them on their iPhone, it automatically opens in Safari. Similarly, if a user clicks on an email address - from a text message or a website - they will be transferred to the Apple Mail application, with no option to switch to another email program.

Apple is also considering easing HomePods restrictions with third-party music apps, including Spotify's streaming competitor.

Apple's closed system, which prevented users from setting third-party apps as default, was questioned last year in a testimony before the US House of Representatives antitrust committee. Lawmakers have emphasized the issue of whether iPhone users can make non-Apple apps the default apps for browsing the web, maps, emails, and music.

Being a default application on the world's best-selling smartphone is very valuable, because consumers are often persuaded and enticed to use more famous software, instead of other alternative applications. . Keeping users engaged in Apple services is important for the company, as smartphone demand is declining, and revenue from music, video, cloud storage, and other services. Other services are making up a bigger part of the iPhone manufacturer's total revenue.

The company currently has 38 default apps pre-installed on iPhones and iPads, including the Safari, Maps, Messages, and Mail web browsers.

Last year, Spotify filed a lawsuit against the EU, saying that Apple had pinned rival services by charging 30% of the user paid for the service through the App Store. Apple countered that Spotify wanted to enjoy the benefits of the App Store without paying for them. In this application, Spotify pointed out that it cannot stream music to the HomePod and become the default music player in Siri, Apple's voice assistant.

Perhaps that is why Apple is currently working to allow third-party music services to run directly on the HomePod. Spotify and third-party music apps can now be streamed from an iPhone or iPad to the HomePod via Apple's AirPlay technology. It was a much more troublesome experience than streaming directly from the speakers.

"Opening the door" HomePod for third-party music services may make this product more attractive to users. Apple's smart speaker has lagged behind rivals like the Amazon Echo in terms of functionality since its launch in 2018, and holds less than 5% of the smart speaker market.

In addition, Apple is considering whether to allow users to set rival music services as default with Siri on iPhone and iPad. Currently, Apple Music is the default music application. If the company changes this, users will be able to play music from Spotify or Pandora completely automatically when they request to play music with Siri.

It should be emphasized that all of the aforementioned changes are under discussion or in the early stages of development - the final decision has not been made yet. If Apple decides to move forward, they could appear as early as later this year through an iOS 14 software update and a software update for the HomePod.

Apple usually releases new software versions for the iPhone and iPad in June, then releases them in September, around the same time as the new iPhone models. In this year's update, Apple also intends to focus on improving performance and quality, because the current iOS 13 version is experiencing quite a lot of bugs that make users unhappy at all.

Reference: Bloomberg