The U.S. giant complies with E.U. anti-monopoly rules amid fears of new fines.

Apple Inc. has announced on its blog an upcoming software update that will allow iPhone and iPad users in the European Union to modify many of the default services and delete a host of pre-installed Apple apps that were previously undeletable.

Among these apps are some of Apple’s most integral tools, including the iPhone’s native web browser, camera, photo library, app store, and messaging service.

These changes are part of Apple’s efforts to comply with recent E.U. regulations designed to increase competition among developers and provide users with more choices.

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Today’s iPhones come preloaded with numerous Apple-built apps - such as Keynote, Health, Home, Books, Pages, Numbers, iMovie, GarageBand, the iTunes Store, the Apple Store, Journal, Freeform, and Tips - many of which might feel like bloatware to users who rarely, if ever, use them. Although these apps can be deleted, they often end up stashed in a junk folder.

Some see the ability to delete default apps for good as a significant and necessary move toward greater control over our devices, reminding Apple that the “I” in iPhone should stand for individual choice.

While the option to remove certain apps might seem minor, critics argue that users should have more control over the devices they own. Currently, Apple’s restrictions on deleting its proprietary software are inconsistent and often frustrating.

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However, some operations are confusing as certain Apple apps cannot be removed or can only be partially removed. For instance, Apple’s Messages app cannot be deleted or replaced with a third-party default like WeChat. While users can change their default web browser to Firefox or Chrome, they can’t uninstall Safari. And even though they can delete Apple Maps, tapping a link to a street address will prompt them to redownload it rather than automatically opening an alternative service like Google Maps.

There may also problems with saving photos without having either Apple’s Photos app or a third-party replacement installed. Or, impossible redownload after the deletion of the App Store app.

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Other tools can only be disabled: Siri – Apple’s AI – is so deeply integrated with iPhone’s operation system that is can only be disabled rather than deleted. Alternative assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant would not succeed to install anyway.

The E.U.’s Digital Markets Act, which targets tech companies classified as “gatekeepers,” aims to break open these closed ecosystems. As a result, Apple will soon offer users in the European common area a centralized settings menu to manage and replace default apps, allowing them to completely swap out services Apple has traditionally considered integral to the iOS.

For users outside the European Union, Apples has made no changes yet.

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