How to Change Default Apps on Android (All Phones)

Android lets you pick which app handles every common action: opening a link, making a call, sending a message, or searching with your voice. The path to that setting differs between stock Android and Samsung's One UI, which trips up a lot of people.

This guide covers every default you are likely to want to change, from browser and phone dialer to launcher and digital assistant. It also explains how to clear existing defaults so Android asks you again, and what to do when the setting is greyed out or locked.

Quick answer: where to find default apps

The location of the default apps menu depends on your Android version and manufacturer.

On any phone you can also open Settings and search for Default apps to jump straight to the menu.

Change default browser, phone, SMS, and launcher

These four defaults live together in the Default apps screen on most phones.

Pixel (stock Android 13 and later)

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps, then Default apps.
3. Tap Browser app, Phone app, SMS app, or Home app (launcher).
4. Select your preferred app from the list. Only installed apps that support the role appear.

Samsung One UI 6 and One UI 7

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap Choose default apps.
4. Tap Browser app, Phone app, Messaging app, or Home app.
5. Choose the app you want.

Samsung also lets you access this from the app's own info page: go to Settings > Apps, tap the app, then tap Set as default.

Changing the default browser

Your default browser handles every link you tap in other apps. If you set Chrome as your browser but a link keeps opening in Samsung Internet, the app that sent the link may have its own verified-link setting overriding your choice. See the "Open supported links" section below.

Changing the default dialer

Only apps that declare themselves as a phone app appear in the Phone app list. If a third-party dialer you installed does not show up, open that app once and go through its initial setup. Most dialers ask to become the default during setup.

Change the digital assistant and autofill service

These two settings are slightly separate from the main default apps list.

Digital assistant (Android 13 to current)

1. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
2. Tap Digital assistant app.
3. Select Google, Gemini, Bixby (on Samsung), or any other installed assistant app.
4. Tap the settings gear next to your chosen assistant to configure its preferences.

On Samsung, go to Settings > Advanced features > Bixby if you want to remap the side key to a different assistant or turn Bixby off entirely.

Autofill service

1. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps (or Settings > System > Language & input > Autofill service on some phones).
2. Tap Autofill service.
3. Choose your password manager or Google's autofill.

Clear default apps so Android asks again

If you told Android "always open this in [app]" and regret it, you can clear that choice.

Method 1: Per-app clear

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Find the app whose default behavior you want to reset (for example, the browser you no longer want as the default).
3. Tap Open by default (or Set as default).
4. Tap Clear default preferences (shown as Clear defaults on some phones).

After this, Android will ask which app to use the next time a relevant link or action is triggered.

Method 2: Reset all app preferences

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Tap the three-dot menu and select Reset app preferences.
3. Confirm. This clears all default app choices and also re-enables disabled apps and resets notification and permission restrictions.

You can also find this under Settings > System > Reset options on some phones.

Method 3: From the Default apps screen

1. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
2. Tap the category you want to reset (for example, Browser app).
3. Change the selection to a different app or to None if that option appears.

Change how links open (Open supported links)

This is the setting most guides skip. Android has a feature called verified links (also called App Links or Open supported links). When an app has a verified domain, Android opens that domain's links directly in the app, bypassing your browser default.

For example, if Twitter's app is verified for twitter.com, links to twitter.com open in the Twitter app even if Chrome is your default browser.

To control this per app:

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Tap the app (for example, Twitter or Reddit).
3. Tap Open by default (or Supported web addresses on older builds).
4. Under Open supported links, choose:
   • Open in this app: always use the app for this domain.
   • Ask every time: show a picker on each link tap.
   • Don't open in this app: send the link to your browser.

Samsung shows this under Settings > Apps > [App] > Open by default > Add link with individual domain toggles.

Default app options by brand

Menu names vary across manufacturers. These are the confirmed paths for the most common Android skins.

Why can't I change a default app?

Several situations can lock a default app.

System apps cannot be replaced for their core role. On some carrier-branded phones, the carrier's messaging app is set as the SMS default and the option is greyed out. This is a carrier restriction, not an Android limit. A factory reset does not remove it.

Work profile restrictions. If your phone has a managed work profile (common on company-issued phones), your IT admin can lock default apps for the work profile. Personal profile defaults are still yours to change.

The app does not declare the right capability. An app must register itself as capable of handling a specific default type. If a third-party SMS app does not appear in the SMS default list, it either does not support the role or has not finished its initial setup.

ADB workaround for carrier-locked defaults. If a carrier or OEM has hard-locked a default that Android's settings UI will not let you change, you can use ADB from a PC:

adb shell cmd package set-home-activity com.example.launcher/.MainActivity

This forces a home app change that survives some OEM restrictions. It requires USB debugging on and ADB installed. Use this only if the normal path is genuinely blocked.

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