Modern web browsers typically have built-in search engine settings that allow you to choose your preferred search engine for conducting web searches from the browser’s address & search bar. We can change the default search engine in popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, etc.
Google has been the dominant search engine in the world for many years. It owns a 91.85% market share in search according to a stats in August 2023 by StatCounter. Other search engines like Bing, Yahoo, Baidu (in China), and Yandex (in Russia) held smaller shares, with their popularity varying by region.
Google has been the default search engine on Apple’s device for long time. Google paid massive sums to companies like Apple to make it the default search engine on products like the iPhone, iPad.
Since iOS 8, Apple has added DuckDuckGo support in Safari for mobile. Now you can quickly switch from other search engines like Yahoo, Bing, Google, Baidu to Duckduckgo. It is built in the iOS, no third party app required if you like to activate it.
For those who are not familiar with this search engine, you can try their service from its official website first before you switching over, here is the site URL: https://duckduckgo.com/. By the way, Duck Duck Go is well-known as privacy-minded search engine that does not track its users. Many people consider it as the less invasive alternative to Google or Bing. After Snowden’s revelations in 2013, more internet users turn to DuckDuckGo. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo doesn’t track its users, it lets people search anonymously and keep their privacy. If you decided to switch your search engine to Duck Duck Go on an iPhone or iPad, follow the quick steps below.
Set Duck Duck Go as default search engine on iPhone or iPad
Step 1. Open Settings on iPad or iPhone.
Unlock your iPhone or iPad. Locate and tap to run the Settings app.
Step 2. Tap on Safari from the Settings
In the Settings app, scroll down until you find “Safari” in the list of apps. Tap on it to access Safari’s settings.
You will find a SEARCH section which you can find following items:
- Search Engine
- Search Engine Suggestions
- Safari Suggestions
- Quick Website Search
- Preload Top Hit
Step 3. Change Search Engine
Tap on Search Engine, you will then find all available search engine service providers for Safari browser on the mobile, including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo. Simply tap on DuckDuckGo to set it as the default search engine on iPhone or iPad.
After selecting DuckDuckGo as your preferred search engine, you can simply exit the Settings app. DuckDuckGo will now be the default for Safari on your iPhone or iPad.