▲ 1431 ▼ DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search (techcrunch.com) submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/technology@lemmy.world 243 comments fedilink hide all child comments EDIIT : Apparently, there is an issue with the warning request to disable the ad blocker I use Fennec F-Droid and Cromite, and I don't see this issue. to get around the adblocker warning, use this link. https://unwall.app/techcrunch.com/2026/05/26/duckduckgo-installs-are-up-30-as-users-reject-being-force-fed-googles-ai-search/
[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 168 points 2 months ago (4 children) ...Installs? Do they know there's a website? permalink fedilink source hideshow 8 child comments replies: [–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 84 points 2 months ago (3 children) You don't even need the website. I just set the default search engine to DDG in my browser. A search app makes zero sense to me. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 6 child comments replies: [–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 2 months ago The reason why companies like to push apps over websites is that apps can gather more information about you. Not saying DDG does this, but it is weird. For their defense this could be to place search bar on main screen, as looks like Google no longer allows to switch to a different search engine in their default launcher. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children) The DDG app is pretty cool though. It has free app tracking protection. As a tangent, it's kind of insane that the NPR app seems to always have like 10x tracking attempts vs tiktok. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] cardfire@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago* (1 child) So much, this. My brokerage apps are my biggest offenders for phoning to unauthorized parties, makes me nervous as hell. I mentioned elsewhere in the thread, that I miss using Mullvad but that DDG supplanted them as my VPN of choice, just because there are other anti-tracking and adjacent security Services integrated into my life so seamlessly. Unrelated to DDG, if you sideload on Android I want to shill HARD for this FDroid package, called Hail, , which when powered with Shizuku can fully suspend apps selectively at will. So I identify any apps that like to phone home regularly, and just tell them to aggressively take naps until summoned, I feel like I only want to allow 10% of my apps to run to the background regularly. This app gives me a toggle for that, and DDG is my lamp light for selecting the most egregious offenders. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago Thanks for the recommendation, probably better than me just putting any app I haven't used in the last week into deep sleep mode or whatever it's called haha. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Prathas@lemmy.zip 1 point 2 months ago Surely that doesn't mean you have the NPR app installed, does it?... 🤢 permalink fedilink source parent [–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 1 point 2 months ago "search app" is a weird categorization for "web browser." permalink fedilink source parent [–] markko@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 child) There are too many damn apps already imo, but apparently some people like having as many as possible DuckDuckGo said U.S. app installs went up 18.1% week-over-week on average during the May 20 to May 25 period, compared to May 13 to May 18. The company said that growth was sustained for six consecutive days and peaked at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the rate of install is even higher, with week-over-week growth hitting a 33% average, peaking at 69.9%. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] bananabread@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 months ago (1 child) Well, in this case it helps to override my default search engine on my phone. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] RichardDegenne@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 months ago ngl, I never thought about changing the default search engine on Android. That was the last place where I was still using Google. Installing the DDG app right now 😂 permalink fedilink source parent [–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago From Chrome to DDG browser likely. Google also have a website but people still install Chrome for it, the lastest AI thing might be the final straw for people to finally looking for the alternative permalink fedilink source parent [–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 child) I think DDO has its own Firefox fork. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 1 point 2 months ago Nope, as far as i know it uses chrorium and on android a webview wrapper permalink fedilink source parent
[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 84 points 2 months ago (3 children) You don't even need the website. I just set the default search engine to DDG in my browser. A search app makes zero sense to me. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 6 child comments replies: [–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 2 months ago The reason why companies like to push apps over websites is that apps can gather more information about you. Not saying DDG does this, but it is weird. For their defense this could be to place search bar on main screen, as looks like Google no longer allows to switch to a different search engine in their default launcher. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children) The DDG app is pretty cool though. It has free app tracking protection. As a tangent, it's kind of insane that the NPR app seems to always have like 10x tracking attempts vs tiktok. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] cardfire@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago* (1 child) So much, this. My brokerage apps are my biggest offenders for phoning to unauthorized parties, makes me nervous as hell. I mentioned elsewhere in the thread, that I miss using Mullvad but that DDG supplanted them as my VPN of choice, just because there are other anti-tracking and adjacent security Services integrated into my life so seamlessly. Unrelated to DDG, if you sideload on Android I want to shill HARD for this FDroid package, called Hail, , which when powered with Shizuku can fully suspend apps selectively at will. So I identify any apps that like to phone home regularly, and just tell them to aggressively take naps until summoned, I feel like I only want to allow 10% of my apps to run to the background regularly. This app gives me a toggle for that, and DDG is my lamp light for selecting the most egregious offenders. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago Thanks for the recommendation, probably better than me just putting any app I haven't used in the last week into deep sleep mode or whatever it's called haha. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Prathas@lemmy.zip 1 point 2 months ago Surely that doesn't mean you have the NPR app installed, does it?... 🤢 permalink fedilink source parent [–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 1 point 2 months ago "search app" is a weird categorization for "web browser." permalink fedilink source parent
[–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 2 months ago The reason why companies like to push apps over websites is that apps can gather more information about you. Not saying DDG does this, but it is weird. For their defense this could be to place search bar on main screen, as looks like Google no longer allows to switch to a different search engine in their default launcher. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children) The DDG app is pretty cool though. It has free app tracking protection. As a tangent, it's kind of insane that the NPR app seems to always have like 10x tracking attempts vs tiktok. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 4 child comments replies: [–] cardfire@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago* (1 child) So much, this. My brokerage apps are my biggest offenders for phoning to unauthorized parties, makes me nervous as hell. I mentioned elsewhere in the thread, that I miss using Mullvad but that DDG supplanted them as my VPN of choice, just because there are other anti-tracking and adjacent security Services integrated into my life so seamlessly. Unrelated to DDG, if you sideload on Android I want to shill HARD for this FDroid package, called Hail, , which when powered with Shizuku can fully suspend apps selectively at will. So I identify any apps that like to phone home regularly, and just tell them to aggressively take naps until summoned, I feel like I only want to allow 10% of my apps to run to the background regularly. This app gives me a toggle for that, and DDG is my lamp light for selecting the most egregious offenders. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago Thanks for the recommendation, probably better than me just putting any app I haven't used in the last week into deep sleep mode or whatever it's called haha. permalink fedilink source parent [–] Prathas@lemmy.zip 1 point 2 months ago Surely that doesn't mean you have the NPR app installed, does it?... 🤢 permalink fedilink source parent
[–] cardfire@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago* (1 child) So much, this. My brokerage apps are my biggest offenders for phoning to unauthorized parties, makes me nervous as hell. I mentioned elsewhere in the thread, that I miss using Mullvad but that DDG supplanted them as my VPN of choice, just because there are other anti-tracking and adjacent security Services integrated into my life so seamlessly. Unrelated to DDG, if you sideload on Android I want to shill HARD for this FDroid package, called Hail, , which when powered with Shizuku can fully suspend apps selectively at will. So I identify any apps that like to phone home regularly, and just tell them to aggressively take naps until summoned, I feel like I only want to allow 10% of my apps to run to the background regularly. This app gives me a toggle for that, and DDG is my lamp light for selecting the most egregious offenders. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago Thanks for the recommendation, probably better than me just putting any app I haven't used in the last week into deep sleep mode or whatever it's called haha. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago Thanks for the recommendation, probably better than me just putting any app I haven't used in the last week into deep sleep mode or whatever it's called haha. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Prathas@lemmy.zip 1 point 2 months ago Surely that doesn't mean you have the NPR app installed, does it?... 🤢 permalink fedilink source parent
[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 1 point 2 months ago "search app" is a weird categorization for "web browser." permalink fedilink source parent
[–] markko@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 child) There are too many damn apps already imo, but apparently some people like having as many as possible DuckDuckGo said U.S. app installs went up 18.1% week-over-week on average during the May 20 to May 25 period, compared to May 13 to May 18. The company said that growth was sustained for six consecutive days and peaked at 30.5% on May 25. On iOS, the rate of install is even higher, with week-over-week growth hitting a 33% average, peaking at 69.9%. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] bananabread@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 months ago (1 child) Well, in this case it helps to override my default search engine on my phone. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] RichardDegenne@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 months ago ngl, I never thought about changing the default search engine on Android. That was the last place where I was still using Google. Installing the DDG app right now 😂 permalink fedilink source parent
[–] bananabread@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 months ago (1 child) Well, in this case it helps to override my default search engine on my phone. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] RichardDegenne@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 months ago ngl, I never thought about changing the default search engine on Android. That was the last place where I was still using Google. Installing the DDG app right now 😂 permalink fedilink source parent
[–] RichardDegenne@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 months ago ngl, I never thought about changing the default search engine on Android. That was the last place where I was still using Google. Installing the DDG app right now 😂 permalink fedilink source parent
[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago From Chrome to DDG browser likely. Google also have a website but people still install Chrome for it, the lastest AI thing might be the final straw for people to finally looking for the alternative permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 child) I think DDO has its own Firefox fork. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 1 point 2 months ago Nope, as far as i know it uses chrorium and on android a webview wrapper permalink fedilink source parent
[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 1 point 2 months ago Nope, as far as i know it uses chrorium and on android a webview wrapper permalink fedilink source parent