How to change default apps on Android
Browser, phone, SMS and home screen
- Open Settings → Apps.
- Tap Default apps. On some phones it's under Choose default apps or behind the ⋮ menu.
- Tap a role, such as Browser app, Phone app, SMS app or Home app, and pick the app.
Which app opens links
Android decides which app opens web links for sites like YouTube or Twitter with per-app settings:
- Open Settings → Apps and choose the app.
- Tap Open by default (sometimes Set as default).
- Turn Open supported links on or off, and choose which links it handles.
Reset which app opens a file type
If you once tapped “Always” when opening a file, Android remembers it. To undo it:
- Open Settings → Apps and choose the app that keeps opening the files.
- Tap Open by default and then Clear default preferences (or Clear defaults).
- Open the file again and choose the right app, then tap Always.
Not sure which app holds the default? See how to find which app opens a file type. On a Galaxy phone, see the Samsung guide.
Using Defaultify for Android
Defaultify gathers all of this into one dashboard:
- Every system role and the app that holds it, with a shortcut straight to the right setting
- File handlers for 100+ extensions, from PDF to MKV to ZIP
- A deep link inspector for
mailto:,tel:,geo:and web links - A health score that flags missing or conflicting defaults
All your defaults, one tap away
Defaultify for Android is free on Google Play.