Apple's Photos app might soon be removable due to EU regulations

Over the years, Apple has enjoyed success with its walled-up ecosystem, but the European Commission (EC) has got a crowbar to pry it open at every chance it gets using the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Enacted in November 2022 and taking full effect in May 2023, the DMA has been all about giving EU smartphone users across its 27 member states more flexibility and making things more competitive digitally.

Now, the European Commission (EC) is currently investigating several big tech companies for how they comply with its new Digital Markets Act (DMA) legislation. And to no one's surprise, Apple is one of them.

While the Commission had previously forced Apple to make changes like opening the App Store to third-party platforms in Europe, it has now opened proceedings against Apple regarding its compliance with some of its other DMA obligations. One of the big things it is looking at is how the company enables end-users to uninstall any software applications on iOS easily. It is also looking at changing default settings on iOS and finally prompting users with choice screens that allow them to select an alternative default browser service or search engine on their iPhones.

Of these demands, there is a spotlight on end users' ability to easily uninstall any software applications on iOS – particularly the Photos app. This was spotlighted by Margrethe Vestager, leader of the EU competition initiative, pointing to the Apple Photos app. According to Vestager, Apple needs to allow third-party apps to serve as the system-level image library app to comply with the DMA.

At the moment, other third-party photo apps don’t have the privilege to compete with the native Photos app on Apple devices like on Android devices. But this change might arrive on EU Apple devices in the coming weeks if the EU requests that the tech giant make the Photos app removable for users in the region.

This fate might not be the case for the Apple Photos app alone but could extend to other apps in the Apple ecosystem. If this pulls through, Apple users in the EU can pick what apps they want to use on their device, instead of solely relying on the native apps that come preinstalled on Apple devices. Third-party apps might replace the functionality of this app that Apple users are already so familiar with.

Of course, this wouldn't be easy.

While this change may offer users more freedom to choose their preferred apps, it poses challenges. Many native Apple apps are deeply integrated into iOS, making them difficult to remove. The Photos app, for example, serves as both the gallery app and file picker, complicating the process of replacing it with third-party alternatives.

Security concerns also arise with the prospect of third-party apps completely taking over core functionalities. Apple has prided itself on its security measures, but relinquishing control over key apps could pose risks.

Most of these changes are not in favour of Apple’s business style, which has been in place over the years, but it turns out that the EU can force Apple to do something it deems important for the region – cue the USB-C.

The idea is to promote competition within the digital market and offer EU iPhone users more freedom in how they interact with their devices.