DuckDuckGo: Changing default search engine in Android requires too many steps

Changing the default browser or search engine in Android requires too many steps, DuckDuckGo argues. Google sets itself the standard with a mandatory widget on the home screen and with Chrome as the default browser.

Changing both cannot be done by default in setup and requires a minimum of 15 clicks, DuckDuckGo says. Google claims that an alternative is always just a click away, according to the competitor, but according to DuckDuckGo that is not true.

DuckDuckGo advocates that users are given the choice to choose a different search engine during setup. That is the case in Europe and DuckDuckGo recently lost the auction to be listed as an option in many countries. The selection screen does not exist outside Europe. It is still unknown how much influence the selection screens in Europe have on Google’s market share in the mobile search market.