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posted by martyb on Saturday February 22 2020, @03:40PM   Printer-friendly
from the took-them-long-enough dept.

Apple is considering letting users change default email, browser, music apps in iOS:

Apple is seriously considering the possibility of allowing users to change the default apps for Web browsing, mail, or music on their iPhones. The company might also allow users to listen to Spotify or other music streaming services besides Apple Music via Siri on the iPhone or on the HomePod smart speaker.

These revelations were outlined in a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this morning, who cited multiple people familiar with Apple's internal plans.

[...] Currently, iOS users can download third-party applications for mail or Web browsing like Outlook or Firefox, but they cannot set them to be the default apps that the system opens when a link or email address is tapped in another application, for example. Apple does allow users to do these things in some cases with its macOS software for desktops and laptops, even though it's not possible on the company's mobile platforms.

[...] And as Bloomberg notes, more elegant support for streaming services besides Apple Music would almost certainly be a boon for sales of Apple's HomePod smart speaker, as that lack of flexibility is a major limitation for that product compared to its competitors. Yes, HomePod users can stream Spotify to the HomePod using Apple's AirPlay technology, but many users may feel that is not a complete solution.

[...] Bloomberg's sources were careful to clarify that no final decisions have been made yet, but given Apple's longstanding commitment to a different philosophy, the fact this change is being seriously considered at all is on its own a major development.

When it released iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 in 2019, Apple already began lifting some smaller limitations on how users could customize the mobile operating system. So if these changes for default apps do go forward, they could herald a dramatic shift in Apple's software strategy—whether they're made to make things better for users, to appease regulators, or both.


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  • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:01PM (10 children)

    by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:01PM (#961182) Journal

    The fact that icloud email is tied to Apple is a plus - it stays private. Or didn't you know that? You may not value that, but some of us do.

    there is no silicon valley behemoth coercing you to back up to *their* cloud.

    There's no requirement to store your data in Apple's cloud. I opted out of it. No biggie. The only thing I'm using is their servers to store-and-forward email to/from me. And you can set it up to use gmail or outlook if you really insist on sharing all your email contents with a silicon valley behemoth. I don't.

    So how is Apple forcing me "to back up to *their* cloud" again, FUDster Brown?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:22PM (9 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @10:22PM (#961190)

    You're the one making assumptions that anyone on a non Apple device will use Google mail.

    Equally they could subscribe to a privacy respecting mail provider (duckduckgo will list some) and with the money saved by not buying an iPhone, still buy beer and pizza.

    • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:06PM (8 children)

      by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:06PM (#961205) Journal

      I don't pay a subscription fee for Apple icloud mail. And I'm dealing with Apple, which has a history of privacy. And I'm not paying $50/year US to HushMail. Or any fee whatsoever to anyone.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:13PM (7 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:13PM (#961209)

        No because you're a cheapskate who 'borrowed' your sister's phone.

        If I wished to access icloud, it would cost several hundred dollars to access the service - by purchasing an iPhone. It therefore isn't a free service.

        • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:32PM (6 children)

          by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:32PM (#961215) Journal

          The choices were another phone or using an existing one that was sitting in a drawer after an upgrade. One that works better than the newest Android. My preference would have been neither, and tell people to get hold of me via email alone, which I would check a couple of times a week, because I prefer my communications live and in person and really hate calling anyone I've never met - it just seems rude.

          But it turns out handy when health professionals want to contact me to schedule an appointment, so I'm not going to complain.

          As for the accusation of being a cheapskate - guilty. Like most people with disabilities, it's kind of a necessity.

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          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:44PM (5 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 22 2020, @11:44PM (#961219)

            The cost of icloud is an upfront fee with a new Apple device, borne by your sister's original purchase.

            • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:09AM (4 children)

              by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:09AM (#961225) Journal

              And what is the problem with that, exactly? It's the same fee (zero), even if the device lasts 10 years (which is likely - it only has 4 more years to go).

              You can buy extra storage on the cheap, but I'm not one of those people who stores crap on the cloud "because cloud."

              Got to wonder why you shill so much for the PinePhone. Because you ARE a shill. Anonymous account, looking for any off-topic excuse to push the PinePhone and related crap, refuses to consider that most people will never want such a shitty consumer product even if you spent the next 10 years on it, accuses me of being a shill because I don't drink the koolaid ...

              Shill detected, and it's not me. Fucking stupid shills think that posting anonymously will keep people from figuring it out.

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              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:30AM (3 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @12:30AM (#961230)

                If iPhone works for you fine. But don't pretend your cloud email is a free just because you're using a free device.

                • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:59AM (2 children)

                  by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Sunday February 23 2020, @01:59AM (#961257) Journal
                  And the PinePhone shill shouldn't pretend it's good for anything except a toy with increasingly crappy specs. They should stop posting anonymously and be up front about who they are and their motives.
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                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:10PM (1 child)

                    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 23 2020, @09:10PM (#961552)

                    Pinephone shill?

                    You really are a fake door. No hinges in sight! For someone as opinionated as you and who butts into arguments it is pretty ridiculous how much you complain about AC posters. Are you just upset you can't tell if it is an actual bigot messing with you for being trans? Cause if you're a real person I applaud your openness especially on a conservative leaning board like this.

                    I'll still call you out for your bullshit opinions regarding the unnecessary proprietary lock-in, and yes I would have to visit you in person to believe you are who you say you are. First rule of internet conversations, do not give actual locations. Makes it kinda hard to believe your story is real when you claim to post your real address.

                    • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Sunday February 23 2020, @11:01PM

                      by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Sunday February 23 2020, @11:01PM (#961611) Journal
                      Want proof - send a sel addressed stamped envelope to my address that I posted here. Or am I now co-opting the mail service? Put up or shut up.
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