Google is embracing the iPhone and Apple is welcoming it with arms wide open. Before you ask, all of this is happening in the real world. You can now set Gmail as your default email app and Chrome as your preferred browser on the iPhone and iPad. And you can thank iOS 14 for all this.
Earlier in the year, in June to be precise, Apple took the wraps off iOS 14, the next major update to iOS, which is essentially the software that drives Cupertino’s iPhones (and by extension its iPads in the form of iPadOS). Of the many new features announced, the one that possibly surprised — pleasantly — everyone the most was the ability to set third-party browsers and email apps as default on the iPhone. Now that iOS 14 is available for all eligible Apple devices, you can do this for real now.
Until now, Apple did not allow you to change any default app on the iPhone, which meant Apple Mail and Safari were your only options. With iOS 14, users can switch their default mail and browser apps to say Gmail or Chrome. Google is one of the first few brands to jump to the occasion and roll out updates that will allow users to set Gmail and Chrome as default apps on the iPhone. While the ability to switch to Chrome has been available for some time, Gmail’s new update (which is version 6.0.200825) is now rolling.
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Setting up Gmail as default email app on iPhone running iOS 14 is a straight-forward process. Once you have the latest version of Gmail installed on your iPhone, simply head over to settings app, select Gmail and you will find a new “default mail app” menu. Tap on Gmail and it will become your default email app. The same process works for Chrome as well. In addition to Gmail, you can also select Outlook as your default app.
Here are all the Apple devices eligible for iOS 14 update:
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE (gen 1), iPhone SE (gen 2), iPod touch (gen 7)
You can also set Gmail as default email app and Chrome as preferred browser on iPad running iPadOS 14 similarly.
Here are all the devices eligible for iPadOS 14 update:
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (gen 4), iPad Pro 11-inch (gen 2), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (gen 3), iPad Pro 11-inch (gen 1), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (gen 2), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (gen 1), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, iPad (gen 7), iPad (gen 6), iPad (gen 5), iPad mini (gen 5), iPad mini 4, iPad Air (gen 3), iPad Air 2