The US Version of iOS Is Now the Worst Anywhere

With all the changes that the EU has forced Apple to make, there’s a strong argument that the best version of iOS is no longer the US version.

Last week, Apple announced yet more changes to comply with the EU’s user-friendly DMA laws, and frankly, they read like a dream feature list worthy of a keynote announcement rather than a grudging blog post. We’ll get into the details in a second, but the vibe among Apple journalists and commenters posting on blogs and social media is that the DMA version of iOS is the best version of iOS—and you can be sure that Apple just hates this take. So why doesn’t it just cave, and make these changes everywhere already?

“One global version would simplify everything. But Apple’s playing defense, keeping tight control where they can. It’s about control and cash. Apple is squeezing profits from every market they can. But it’s short-sighted. They’re fragmenting their ecosystem,” international lawyer and tech entrepreneur Milly Barker told Lifewire via email. “It’s a ticking time bomb. Apple is fighting a losing battle against user freedom. They’ll cave eventually, but they’ll drag their feet every step.”

Leftovers

First, let’s check the story so far. The EU’s Digital Markets Act, or DMA, is designed to force so-called gatekeeper companies (Big Tech companies with monopolies or lock-ins) to open up their platforms to allow fair competition. The European Commission has also gone after Google and Facebook, but Apple is getting the most headlines because it just won’t do what it’s told.

Every time the EC tells it to fix something, Apple does it in the most bad-faith way possible. For example, when Apple was told to open up iOS to third-party app stores, it did, but it made the prospect so onerous and expensive that almost nobody would bother.

Now, though, Apple is eventually coming into line, and some of the changes are great. We already have third-party app stores and the ability to install actual third-party browsers like Chrome or Firefox, and not just versions of Safari skinned to look and act like Chrome and Firefox.

Now, Apple has announced even more changes: you’ll be able to delete built-in apps like the App Store, Messages, Safari, the camera app, and more, and you’ll be able to designate replacements as the new default apps email, phone calls, translating text, managing passwords, among others. It’s quite the change.

“My realization in 2024 has been that the DMA fork of iOS is the best iPhone experience. We can finally use our phones like actual computers with more default apps and apps from external sources,” writes Italy-based iPad and Apple super-nerd Federico Viticci on his Mac Stories blog.

Control Freak

So why doesn’t Apple just accept these changes and apply them worldwide? After all, while the EU is making the headlines, other places are also changing their laws to better control the unfettered practices of Apple and Big Tech. Japan, for example, is working on a new anti-monopoly law that will surely require similar changes.

The answer is twofold: money and control. Apple makes a fortune from its skim of the money developers make on iOS apps, thanks to the App Store being the only way to sell those apps to iPhone and iPad users. Allowing third-party stores, or even just third-party payment options, means giving up that cut—although currently, Apple still thinks it can charge the same tax on apps sold via other stores.

“I’d argue that this is a monopoly, and the DOJ seems to agree with me, but it will be a long time for this to be resolved in the courts. For now, it’s best for business for Apple to hold on tight to their grip on all of their software distribution,” Bill Mann, privacy expert at Cyber Insider, told Lifewire via email.

And Apple really, really likes control. Anyone who has followed the company’s history knows that Apple likes to be in charge of every part of its business. That’s why it created the Safari browser instead of being beholden to Microsoft and the inferior Mac version of Internet Explorer, that’s why it now makes its own Apple Silicon instead of relying on Intel, and that’s why it’s still trying to make its own cellular modems so it can ditch its reliance on Qualcomm.

Apple is one of the biggest companies on the planet, and perhaps the world’s biggest brand and it’s used to doing whatever it likes. The problem is that the EU has all the power, and try as it might, Apple cannot bully it the way it bullies its developers and users. Eventually, all these EU goodies will come to the rest of the world, but for now, Apple is so into money and control that it is happy to let customers in its home country suffer with the worst version of iOS anywhere.