DuckDuckGo is Now a Default Search Engine Option on Android in the EU

DuckDuckGo will soon be offered as an option for default search engine on Android devices across the EU.

European regulators are forcing Google to present Android users with the option to choose their own default search engine. The option to choose default search providers has always been available on Android devices, but it’s something users would have to seek out on their own in the settings menu.

Google’s previous practices of setting itself as the default search provider on its own operating system was ruled illegal under EU antitrust rules. As a result, Google was hit with a record-breaking $5 billion fine.

Now, Google has to change its practices and prompt users to choose their own default search engine when setting up a European Android device that has the Google Search app built in. Not all countries will have the same options, however, as the choices included in Google’s new prompt all went to the highest bidders.

As it turns out, DuckDuckGo must have bid more aggressively than other Google competitors, as it’s being offered as a choice across all countries in the EU.