How to Get the iOS Default App Entitlements (Calling, Messaging & More)
iOS 18.2+ lets users pick your app as their default dialer, messenger, navigation or translation app. Here is what you enable and what App Review checks.
Founder, Newly
Starting with iOS and iPadOS 18.2, users can set a third-party app as their system default for calling, messaging, navigation or translation, so OS-level actions hand off to it. Each is a capability you enable in your build and set to true — there is no request form. The gate is meeting Apple’s documented technical requirements and passing App Review. (The one default-app role Apple does gate behind a managed-entitlement request is the default web browser.)
There is no pre-approval form for this capability. You enable it in your build and App Review evaluates it when you submit — so the bar is meeting the documented requirements below, not waiting on a separate approval queue.
Key Takeaways
- Default calling, messaging, navigation and translation are Xcode capabilities, not request forms.
- Each requires specific frameworks and Info.plist entries to actually qualify.
- Navigation and translation rolled out by region (EU first); check availability.
- The default web browser is the exception — it does need a managed-entitlement request.
Default App at a Glance
What This Entitlement Is
Each default-app entitlement is a boolean capability that, combined with the right framework and Info.plist configuration, makes your app eligible to appear under Settings → Apps → Default Apps for its category. Users then choose it, and the system routes the relevant action — a call, a message, navigation or text translation — to your app. There is no separate approval queue; you ship through normal App Review.
Entitlement & config keys
com.apple.developer.calling-app = true (CallKit / LiveCommunicationKit)com.apple.developer.messaging-app = true (handle the im: scheme)com.apple.developer.navigation-app = true (MapKit)com.apple.developer.translation-app = true (TranslationUIProvider extension)
Who Needs It
Calling / VoIP apps
Dialers and VoIP apps built on CallKit or LiveCommunicationKit, with the voip background mode.
Messaging apps
Instant-messaging apps that register and handle the im: URL scheme (with optional sms: fallback).
Navigation apps
Turn-by-turn maps apps using MapKit. Initially available to EU users, with more regions over time.
Translation apps
Apps that provide a TranslationUIProvider extension for selected-text translation.
How to Enable It and Pass Review
- 1
Pick the default role you are targeting
Calling, messaging, navigation or translation — each has its own entitlement and technical requirements.
- 2
Add the entitlement and set it to true
For example com.apple.developer.calling-app = true. No form is submitted; the capability goes straight into your build.
- 3
Implement the required framework and Info.plist entries
Calling needs CallKit/LiveCommunicationKit and the voip background mode; messaging needs the im: URL scheme; navigation needs MapKit; translation needs a TranslationUIProvider extension.
- 4
Confirm regional availability
Some roles (navigation in particular) rolled out by region. Make sure the behavior is enabled where your users are.
- 5
Submit through App Review
Apple verifies the technical requirements at review. Once live, your app appears as a selectable default and users opt in per device.
What App Review Evaluates
- That the required framework is actually linked (e.g. CallKit for a default calling app).
- That the required background mode or URL scheme is present and handled.
- That a translation app ships a valid TranslationUIProvider extension.
- That the behavior is offered only where Apple has enabled the default role.
Timeline. There is no separate approval queue. Add the entitlement, meet the per-role technical requirements, and ship through normal App Review. After the app is live, it appears as an option in the relevant Default Apps category and each user opts in on their own device.
Common Reasons It Gets Rejected
Missing framework or background mode
A default calling app without CallKit/LiveCommunicationKit or the voip background mode will not qualify.
How to avoid it: Link the exact framework Apple documents for the role and add the required Info.plist keys.
Not handling the required scheme / extension
A messaging app that does not process im: URLs, or a translation app without a provider extension, fails review.
How to avoid it: Implement and test the handler before submitting — register im: or ship the TranslationUIProvider.
Region mismatch
Shipping default-navigation behavior outside the regions where Apple has enabled it.
How to avoid it: Gate the capability to supported regions and confirm current availability in Apple’s docs.
Adding It in Newly
Newly builds real native apps, so the capability goes into your app exactly the way it would in a hand-written project — you just describe it instead of editing config files.
- 1Tell Newly which default role you want, e.g. "let users set my app as their default messaging app."
- 2Newly sets the matching entitlement to true and wires up the required framework, background mode or URL scheme.
- 3Confirm the role is available in your users’ region (some roles are EU-first).
- 4Build and submit from the Deploy modal; Apple verifies the requirements during App Review.
For the full deployment flow, see the permissions & entitlements guide in the Newly docs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I request the default calling/messaging entitlement from Apple?
No. Calling, messaging, navigation and translation are capabilities you enable in your build and set to true. There is no request form — Apple verifies the technical requirements during App Review. Only the default web browser role uses a managed-entitlement request.
Which iOS version is required?
Calling and messaging defaults arrived in iOS/iPadOS 18.2. Navigation and translation came slightly later and rolled out by region, so check current availability for your target market.
How does a user actually choose my app as the default?
Once your app is live and qualifies, it appears under Settings → Apps → Default Apps for its category, and the user selects it per device. You cannot set it on their behalf.
What does the default web browser need?
The default web browser is the exception: Apple documents it as requiring a managed entitlement request, unlike calling, messaging, navigation and translation which are plain capability toggles.
Ship a Default App app without fighting the native config
Describe the feature and Newly wires up the entitlement keys, Info.plist / manifest entries and native modules for you — then builds and submits to the App Store and Google Play. You still file the approval yourself, but the build is ready the moment it's granted.
Sources & Further Reading
Official Apple documentation for the Default App capability. Always confirm the current requirements against these pages before you apply.