Google says it will allow European users to change their default search engine

Google Pixel smartphone users in Europe have reported seeing the option to change their default search engine. The option is said to appear in the settings of Pixel Launcher, the default launcher for all Pixel smartphones. The tech giant is said to have offered the option to change its search engine to comply with the European Union (EU) Digital Markets Act (DMA) that recently came into effect. Notably, Apple has also added support for alternative app markets and allowed third-party browsers to run its browser engines to comply with the bill.

The information is shared Written by source Mishaal Rahman at X (formerly Twitter). According to a screenshot shared by a Mastodon user, Rahman said: “One user told me that they received a notification from the Search Engine Chooser app asking them to select a search engine. After changing the search provider, the icon for the search bar changed Updated to reflect user choice of provider.” The notification was also confirmed by several other European Pixel phone owners.

Clicking on the notification will reportedly lead users to an option called “New Settings” search engine. To access it manually, users can go to Pixel Launcher set up > *Home screen search settings > search engine*. Once the user enters the menu, a message appears: “Select the app you will use to search the web. This will affect searches and content on the home screen”.

Under the message, users will reportedly see all the search engines installed on their phone. Apart from Google, some popular search engines include Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and Perplexity AI.

Recently, Google published a blog post detailing how it will comply with the new regulations. The tech giant said it implemented more than 20 product changes in search results and added an option to choose whether users want to share data across Google services. It also mentioned that it will soon add an “additional selection screen” that will let users change their default search engine or browser. Based on information from a whistleblower, it appears that Google has already begun rolling out this feature. However, it hasn’t been expanded to non-Pixel Android phones yet.