Apple Could Be Forced to Let iPhone s Uninstall Photos App in Europe 525p5t Report

European Commission reportedly said that smartphone makers are required to offer easy uninstallation of apps. 4wgq

Written by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 3 April 2024 11:11 IST

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Laurenz Heymann 1z72h

Apple might have to make system-level changes to allow s to uninstall and replace the Photos app

Highlights

Europe’s DMA wants tech companies to become more open and interoperable
Apple recently allowed third-party app stores to operate on iOS
Photos app is currently the default gallery for iPhone devices

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added for alternative app marketplaces and allowed third-party browsers to run their engine to comply with the act, the EU believes the Photos app is still in violation.

On March 25, the European Commission (EC) opened a non-compliance investigation against Apple, Google, and Meta. For Apple, three reasons were listed in the press release which stated, “The Commission has opened proceedings against Apple regarding their measures to comply with obligations to (i) enable end s to easily uninstall any software applications on iOS, (ii) easily change default settings on iOS and (iii) prompt s with choice screens which must effectively and easily allow them to select an alternative default service, such as a browser or search engine on their iPhones.”

According to a report by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, part one of the above-stated reasons refers to the Photos app. Gruber highlights this from the remarks of EC's Executive Vice President, Margrethe Vestager. She said, “Apple also failed to make several apps un-installable (one of them would be Photos) and prevents end-s from changing their default status (for example Cloud), as required by the DMA.”

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Allowing s to delete the Photos app might be tricky for the iOS itself.

With the non-compliance case now open, the EC intends to conclude the proceedings within 12 months. Apple will now have to undergo an investigation where if the regulators do not give justifiable reasons for not making the app uninstallable, Apple might have to pay up to 20 percent of its total worldwide revenue in fines. The EC highlights that in cases of systematic infringements, it may also oblige the gatekeeper (the consumer tech company) to sell a business or parts of it, or ban it from acquiring additional services related to the non-compliance.

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Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen ing his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing ionate opinions on food. More