Open Settings › Apps › Default apps on Google-style Android, then choose the role and app. Samsung and other makers may label the path differently; clearing one app's defaults can make Android ask again. First, install and open the intended app once.
What this covers
- Current Android phones/tablets with an eligible alternative app installed
What it does not cover
Try in this order
0 of 8 completedEstablish the exact starting state
ReversibleInstall and open the intended app once.
Separate the fault or decision boundary
ReversibleIdentify whether you are changing a role such as browser/phone/SMS or only one file/link association.
Apply the narrowest correction
ReversibleChoose the role in Default apps, or clear Open by default for the currently preferred app.
Install and open the app you want to use
ReversibleInstall the new browser, phone, messages or other app and open it once, so that any first-run setup is done and the app is eligible to be chosen for the role.
Work out which role you are changing
ReversibleSome defaults are roles such as the browser, the phone app or the SMS app, and others are per file type or link. Choosing the right one avoids changing something you did not intend.
Choose the role in Default apps or clear the old app's defaults
ReversibleOn stock Android go to Settings, Apps, Default apps and pick the role. On other makers' phones the path may differ, and clearing the old app's Open by default setting makes Android ask again the next time.
Choose Always or Just once when Android asks
ReversibleIf the phone offers a choice of apps for a link or action, Motorola says you can pick Always to make it the default or Just once to try it without committing.
Verify before escalating
ReversibleOpen a representative link, file or action from another app.
Motorola
How the Motorola version of the setting works
This page covers the Pixel-style path; Motorola adds an 'ask each time' route and a separate way to clear a default.
- Path
- Settings, Apps, Default apps.
- When the phone asks
- When Android asks which app to use, tap the app and choose how often, Always or Just once.
- Any time
- Open the Default apps menu and pick your preferred app for defaults such as browser or messaging.
- Clearing a default
- Settings, Apps, Default apps, Opening links, tap the app you selected as default and turn Open supported links on.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a default keeps reverting after a restart, update the app and Android before resetting app preferences, since a reset returns every default to its original setting.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions about “Change a default app on Android”
Why does my phone keep asking which app to use?+
Because no default is set for that action, or the old default was cleared. Choose Always once, or set the role in Default apps.
How do I get the question back after choosing Always?+
Open the old app's settings, choose Open by default and clear the defaults, and Android will ask again.
Does changing the default browser uninstall the old one?+
No. It only changes which app opens links by default. The old browser stays installed.
Where is the setting on a Samsung phone?+
Samsung places it under Settings, Apps, Choose default apps. The names vary with the software version.
How do I undo a default I chose by mistake?+
Motorola's route is Settings, Apps, Default apps, Opening links, then the app you selected, where you turn Open supported links on.
What if the wrong app opens links?+
Open Default apps and reset the role, or clear defaults in that app's settings.