Google’s Chrome browser to allow for picking a default search engine – but far from everyone gets a choice
Google is making a useful change to its desktop Chrome browser, giving users a choice of which search engine they want to use by default – but the catch is that this is only happening in Europe.
In concrete terms, this change is coming for the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA), such as Ghacks spotted, with the move currently being tested (the Canary version of Chrome, hidden behind a flag).
How it works is that when you first launch Chrome, the browser will pop up with a panel asking you to choose your default search engine from a list.
The entries on that list were chosen because they are popular options in your area, and of course they will undoubtedly include Google Search, but Google may not end up at the top of the list – in fact, the order is random. (But the selection is not random, because as mentioned, they are all popular in your specific region).
We're told Google plans to roll this out in early 2024, so within a few months we suspect, but only in Europe – other regions won't get the chance to choose a standard this way.
Analysis: Come on Google, give this option to everyone
Okay, so it's not like changing the default search engine in Chrome is a big deal. It's just a matter of going to the Web browser's Settings panel and clicking on the “Search Engine” section (on the left).
However, less tech-savvy users will never do that, or even realize there is a choice, so they are left on Google Search by default, which is obviously in the search giant's interest. If a panel appears with a selection of search engines and other names that the user has heard of besides Google, they are much more likely to think about which search engine they would like to use.
Google already does this on Android anyway, so you'd think it wouldn't be too much to ask the same courtesy from desktop users – but as mentioned, this is only for Europe. And the reason for this is that Google, like Microsoft in recent times, is being twisted by European laws here.
In short, just as Microsoft offers the choice to remove Edge or disconnect Bing from the search box in Windows 11 due to regulations, the same applies to Google here.