How to Make Signal or WhatsApp the Default Messaging App on Your IPhone
As much as Apple would like it to be, iMessage isn’t the only messaging platform in the world. Yes, RCS is good , but many people prefer to use WhatsApp and Telegram instead. And given the divisive global politics right now, secure apps like Signal have their own appeal.
The reality is that instead of just using your default text messaging program, you’re probably switching between multiple messaging apps right now. Unfortunately, the iPhone doesn’t make this process any easier. Now there’s a new app called DefaultSMS that tries to fill this gap.
DefaultSMS uses a new, little-known iPhone setting to change the default messaging app . It fires whenever you start a new message, be it from a link, preview page, or contact page. This allows you to automatically send text messages using any app, even if that app doesn’t yet officially support Apple’s new settings.
DefaultSMS works with WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, but conveniently it also has the ability to bring up a menu to choose between all your messaging apps every time you go to text, making it easier for you to navigate between them on a case-by-case basis. No matter your preference, there’s a lot to like here.
How to set up DefaultSMS on iPhone
After downloading the app from the App Store (it costs $0.99), go to the Settings app. Scroll down to the Apps section , select Default Apps , tap Messages , and switch to the DefaultSMS app.
Now open the DefaultSMS app to select your preferred default messaging app. You can choose between Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp. Or, if you switch between Signal and WhatsApp frequently, you can choose the Ask every time option instead. Again, when you use this feature, the app will prompt you to choose a messaging app every time you go to text, including the default Messages app.
Now that the setup is complete, it’s time to test it.
Go to the Phone app, open the contacts page, tap the Message button, and the DefaultSMS app will take control, opening a message to your contact in the app of your choice. Personally, I use this with WhatsApp, but no matter which app you choose, it’s nice to not have to search for each of my messaging apps on the home screen every time I want to use them.
DefaultSMS still has some limitations. You’ll still continue to receive SMS messages and iMessages in the Messages app by default, and of course, this method only works if the person you’re messaging has the app you’re messaging them with installed. For example, if they don’t use Telegram, DefaultSMS won’t magically allow you to send them a Telegram message.