Google will no longer be the default Android search engine in Europe

Android OS users in Europe will be able to choose an alternative method to Google as their smartphone search engine. After the fine that Google received from the European Commission in 2018, the company decided to offer users alternatives to choose the default search engine in European Union countries from March.

It will be possible to choose from some search engine options that were defined in an auction, carried out by Google. The options will be, in addition to Google itself, Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Qwant, GMX, PrivacyWall and Info.com. To change the search engine, the user must access a new selection screen, which will appear on Android when first configured. Options vary from country to country.

The Google Auction

In Google's auction process, there was a minimum starting price in each country. Additionally, the three search engines that offered the best price will be the ones that accompany Google on the new welcome screen. The big winner of this auction was DuckDuckGo, which will be one of three alternative search engines offered by Google for Android in all European countries.

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine as it does not track the user like Google does. It does not ask for personal information and does not use it to conduct web searches. However, it is less complete than Google.

The Verge reported the full list of Google search auction participants:

Why is Google no longer the default Android search engine in Europe?

The reason for the change was due to the accusation of monopoly made by the European Union, in 2018. According to the Europeans, Google has consolidated a dominant position in searches because it is the search standard on all Android smartphones and tablets.

Because of this, the European Commission determined that the company would offer alternatives to users. In addition, Google had to pay a fine of $5 billion dollars.