About the browser choice screen in the EU

To meet the requirements in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union, iOS and iPadOS include a choice screen that provides an additional way to choose a default web browser from a list of options. The screen is displayed the first time a user in the EU opens Safari on their iPhone or iPad running a minimum of iOS 17.4 or iPadOS 18.2.

To be considered for inclusion in the list of browser options, an app needs to meet the following criteria:

• Have the Default Browser Entitlement and have the primary purpose of the app be browsing the web.
• On iOS, have been downloaded by at least 5,000 users across all the EU App Store storefronts on iPhone in the prior calendar year.* On iPadOS, have been downloaded by at least 4,000 users across all the EU App Store storefronts on iPad in the prior calendar year.*
• If a developer has multiple browser apps, only the most downloaded app will be eligible.
• On iOS, be available on the App Store on iPhone in that country and in the EU. On iPadOS, be available on the App Store on iPad in that country and in the EU.
• Meets EU legal requirements for inclusion in the choice screen

Up to 11 of the most downloaded browsers on that platform in that country in the prior year that meet the above criteria will be selected for the browser choice screen in addition to Safari. If fewer than 11 browsers meet the criteria above in a particular country, the list for that country will be supplemented with additional browsers available in that country on the basis of how many downloads they had across all EU App Store storefronts on that platform in the prior calendar year.

Apple will update the list of browsers eligible to be shown on the choice screen once per calendar year.

*If a developer offers a version of their browser app with an alternative browser engine, the developer may opt to have the alternative browser engine version listed on the browser choice screen instead.

Update as of October 2024

As of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the choice screen will be displayed at the following times:

• All users with Safari as their default browser will see the choice screen after installing iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.
• The choice screen will not be displayed if a user already has a browser other than Safari set as default.
• The choice screen will be shown once per device instead of once per user.
• When migrating to a new device, if (and only if) the user’s previously chosen default browser was Safari, the user will be required to reselect a default browser (i.e. unlike other settings in iOS, the user's choice of default browser will not be migrated if that choice was Safari).

As of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the following updates will be made to the design of the choice screen:

• Users will be able to select their default browser directly on the choice screen, without seeing descriptive information on the App Store product page for that browser.
• Browser descriptions on the choice screen will include the app subtitle from the browser’s App Store product page.
• Users will be able to review each browser’s App Store product page by tapping on the chevron to the right.
• Users will be required to scroll through the full list of browser options before setting a browser as default.
• If the chosen default browser is already on device, the chosen default browser will automatically open once chosen.
• If the chosen default browser is not already downloaded on device, the choice screen will show the selected browser’s download progress on the choice screen before automatically opening.
• If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user selects a browser that is not currently installed on their device from the choice screen, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen. If the user selects a browser that is currently installed on their device from the choice screen but not on the first page of the Home Screen or the Dock, the selected browser will replace the Safari icon in the user’s Dock or in the Home Screen.
• If Safari is currently in the user’s Dock or on the first page of the Home Screen and the user had previously selected another other browser as their default from the choice screen before updating to iOS 18.2, they will be prompted once upon first launch of Safari about whether they want to swap Safari’s icon with the icon of their default browser. This is only if their default browser is not on the first page of the home screen or the Dock.
• Developers of browsers on the choice screen will have access to a new set of data about their browser’s performance on the choice screen. Developers should contact their Apple representative or dma-data@apple.com for more information.

The browser choice screen design will be updated to reflect these changes: