Your next Android phone will let you choose from these non-Google search engines

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• Your next Android phone will let you choose from these non-Google search engines

Google has announced alternative search engines that you can choose by default on new Android phones. When they first turn on their phone, EU users will be able to choose from other options besides Google, which vary depending on where they live. As the BBC explains, starting in March, new Android phones will offer a choice of four search providers (Google, plus three more). If a suitable app for your chosen provider is not already installed, it will be downloaded automatically once you have made your decision. The "winners" were determined during an auction, places in the drop-down menu being allocated to the highest bidders from each EU country. DuckDuckGo will be the most frequently offered option, while Microsoft Bing will only appear as an option for Android users in the UK. Options available in other countries will include the French search engine Qwant, the Russian Yandex and the German GMX.

Why this change?

In 2018, the European Commission decided that Google "imposed illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators to consolidate its dominant position in general Internet research," and fined the company $5 billion ( approximately €4 billion / A €7.5 billion). Google has made several changes to appease the courts, including allowing phone makers to create forked Android phones in the European Economic Area and providing additional search options to come. If you're not planning to buy a new phone yet, can't wait for March, or don't live in the EU, you can always change your Android phone's default search provider by following Google's instructions.