A few days ago, Google published the official list of search engines that will be offered on the new Choice Screen, a feature that allows each Android smartphone user to choose their default search engine during the setup phase.
Very concretely, since September 1, 2021, this new Choice Screen will offer users the opportunity to choose their favorite engine among a first group of 5 search engines with the most traffic in their country. In case they do not find their preferred search engine in the first group, they will be able to choose from a second group composed of seven other search engines likely to meet their expectations.
This evolution marks undeniable progress for Web players who, like Qwant, believe, work and fight for users’ freedom of choice. Indeed, until now, alternative search engines to Google were subject to an auction system forcing them to pay Google in order to be offered to Android phone users. A perfectly anti-competitive situation, widely criticized by Web players, which had given rise to intense negotiations at the level of the European Commission.
From now on, it will be possible for the Qwant community to choose the latter as the default search engine as soon as the phone is configured. An additional stone to the edifice of a web capable of providing quality information, identical for all, respectful of the freedom of thought as well as the privacy of users.
As one of the 5 favorite search engines of the French, Qwant will be offered, in France, within the first group of search engines displayed on the Choice Screen. But European members of the Qwant community located outside France can rest assured: from Austria to Lithuania via Italy and Croatia, Qwant will be part of the second group in each of the European countries.
Does this measure exempt us from continuing to advocate for the improvement of the lot of users? Qwant thinks not. Because if this evolution was expected, it does not turn out to be fully satisfactory: the Choice Screen is only accessible during the configuration phase of the phone, a user who has chosen a certain search engine at the beginning of his cycle of use and wants to change along the way will always be prevented. At Qwant, we believe that it should be easy, from any browser and operating system, to change the search engine you want to use.
Choosing Qwant on Android is now possible!
