Google Includes Presearch On Android Choice Screen

Most users today search engine queries on their mobile phones. As a result, businesses and site owners strive to boost their mobile SEO Google rankings by improving their mobile SEO and user experience. But aside from Google, more search engines are becoming accessible to mobile users nowadays, including the new search engine Presearch.

Google will add a new private, decentralised search engine called Presearch as a default option on all factory-reset and brand-new Android devices in Europe and the UK.

Almost 70 per cent of smartphone owners use Android devices, so the Presearch search engine could potentially grow its user base.

Currently, Presearch has 2.2 million registered users who make an average of 1.3 million search queries every day. Though the numbers are far from Google’s statistics, the new search engine is on par with the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo. With 1.3 million search queries every day, Presearch is considered to be nearly at the same level as DuckDuckGo’s search volume in 2012. Moreover, Presearch has achieved this percentage of search queries after only three years of operating in the industry.

Presearch began its work in the industry in 2017, and its current search volume is impressive considering the niches it targets. Ever since January 2021, the search engine has grown its search volume by 300 per cent.

In today’s market for privacy-focused search engines, DuckDuckGo currently has an average of 94 million searches every day. People are gaining interest, which has lead to the search engine’s major growth year after year. For instance, DuckDuckGo had an average of 65 million searches per day just last year.

There is no guarantee that Presearch will be as successful as DuckDuckGo, but it is worth watching out for this search engine’s growth.

An Increase In Default Search Options

Earlier this year, Google publicly stated that they would include more default search options on Android’s choice screen to appease the European Commission.

Google receives more criticism in the UK and Europe than in North America. In 2018, the Europe Commission fined Google over 4 billion euros with the allegation that the search engine was exploiting Android to gain an unfair advantage over the search market.

At first, Google required search engines to pay before they include them in the default options. Later on, they removed that requirement. Because of these changes, Android devices will show the five most popular eligible search engines in each European Union country in random order at the top of the screen.

Seven more search engines will appear below the top five, meaning the screen may show Presearch differently on the choice page, depending on the user’s location. Regardless of the mobile device they use or where they live, anyone can use Presearch – whether it’s on their smartphones or desktops or via the App Store or Google Play.

Statement From Presearch

Presearch founder Colin Pape stated that Android runs on four-fifths of the globe’s smartphones, including hundreds of millions in Europe. The company sees it as a huge opportunity to drive mass adoption and take decentralised services and blockchain mainstream.

Hundreds of millions of users are just one click away from their Search Choice screen; they can easily have a private, decentralised search experience, and projects within the crypto space can significantly benefit from this new search engine.

A Short History Of Google And The EU

This year, Google decided to reject their auction system that forces search engines to bid for the right to be displayed as a default search engine option on Android.

Europe sued Google with a fine of 4 billion euros alongside an antitrust enforcement action in 2018. Soon after, the search engine surrendered to the pressure and allowed people in Europe to choose core apps and services on Android by default instead of forcing them to use Google products at first.

In the past, the Android presented users in the region with a choice screen while they set up their device or after performing a factory reset. Users will usually see three search engines eligible for their default choice; however, these three providers shown beside Google Search were chosen through a sealed bidding process.

Many rival search engines thought that the pay-to-play method was unfair. After competitors have flagged their misgivings about Google’s approach, the European Commission had no choice but to step in. The EC discussed matters with Google about improving the choice screens to address concerns.

Google’s head of competition for the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, Oliver Bethell, publicly announced to the people that they would make the final changes to the choice screen. They would also allow eligible search providers to participate in the default search option on Android devices. Moreover, they commit to increasing the number of search providers on Android’s search screen.

According to what they have planned, the new choice screen will show twelve search engine options. By clicking on a search engine option, it will automatically become the default for searches on the home screen and will replace Chrome (if they use this browser). Android devices will also automatically install the search engine app.

Here are a few things that determine a search engine’s eligibility for the Android’s choice screen:

• Only general search engines can be displayed on Android’s choice screen
• The search engine should have its search app free on Play store
• Vertical search engines or subject-specific/specialist ones will not be included
• Search engines that syndicate advertisements and search results will not be included

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