[bluntfang]

>Apple's apps come preinstalled on every iPhone.

Not only that, but the autocreated links to addresses in the messaging app will not work with other map apps. In fact, if you've uninstalled the apple maps app, the address links in messenger are completely useless.

* unless i'm mistaken, but I'm a fairly adept technical user and haven't found a way to make address links work.

[Wowfunhappy]

You're not mistaken. I'd classify that under "3rd party apps have permission to do things other apps cannot." Yet another example would be how Apple Pay comes up automatically near payment terminals. Or how most of the default actions in the Share Sheet—all of which are for Apple Apps—cannot be turned off.