Google could soon be asking a whole lot more of you to set your browser and search defaults
Like you're not all going to choose Google and Chrome, anyway.
JoriPress
- Chrome’s working on a new dialog for choosing your default browser and search.
- The interface is not yet functional, and development notes indicate the backend has yet to be completed.
- While Google’s asked about browser and search options before, Chrome integration could open those up to new users.
Nobody can touch Google when it comes to search, and while there’s a bit more competition for browsers, Chrome is pretty darn comfortable in the top spot. That’s good news for Google, but not as great if your focus is on there being a vibrant marketplace full of lots of solid options. Google’s faced pressure from regulators for years to make Android as a platform less about doing everything with Google services, and more one where users are encouraged to choose their own providers. Today we’re checking out some changes in the works for Chrome that appear to be a response to just that kind of encouragement.
Thanks to the work of the European Commission and other government bodies, Google’s been asking users in certain markets to choose their default browser and search service for the past five years. Those efforts are only intensifying in 2024, as the EU’s Digital Markets Act takes effect, bringing us new screens for selecting browser and search preferences, and changing how certain Google services operate.
