gmail on iphone
You can now change the default email app on your iPhone with iOS 14.
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  • To change the default email app on your iPhone, you’ll need to upgrade to iOS 14 and make sure you have a compatible app installed.
  • You can change the default app by heading to your iPhone’s Settings, tapping the app’s name, and selecting “Default Mail App.”
  • You can change your default email app back to the original Mail app at any time.
  • Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

Since the very first iPhone, Apple has never allowed users to change their default email app. It’s always been Mail — the plain white envelope icon that comes pre-installed on every phone.

Starting with iOS 14, though, that has changed. You can now set a variety of third-party email apps as your default, including Gmail and Outlook.

This means that if you change your default, and perform a task that requires an email, your iPhone will open the new app you’ve set as your default. 

Currently, iOS 14 supports the apps Gmail, Outlook, Spark, and Hey. More should be added in the future.

Here’s how to change the default mail app on your iPhone. 

How to change the default email app on an iPhone

1. Start the Settings app. 

2. Scroll down to the list of your apps, and find the third-party mail app (like Gmail or Outlook) you want to set as the default. Tap it.

How to set default email app on iPhone 1
Find an email app you've installed, like Gmail or Outlook, and tap it.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. On that mail app's settings page, tap "Default Mail App."

How to set default email app on iPhone 2
You can set the default mail app from any supported email app's settings page.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

4. You should see a list of all the mail apps installed on your iPhone that Apple currently supports as default email apps. If you've installed an app but it doesn't appear in this list, it's not supported yet. Tap the app you want to use as your default app.

How to set default email app on iPhone 3
You can choose any compatible third-party email app you've installed on your iPhone.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider

That app is now your default mail app. If you later want to change back to Mail, just return to this mail app's page in Settings and choose Mail instead. 

If you can't change your default email app

In order for this feature to work, your iPhone needs to be running iOS 14

Check your iOS version by starting the Settings app and tapping "General," then "Software Update." If your phone doesn't indicate it's running iOS 14 or higher, update your phone. 

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