DuckDuckGo Warns UK Search Choice Screen Plan Would Leave Out 30 Million Android Phones
TLDR
DuckDuckGo says the UK choice screen plan for Google Android search would leave out around 30 million Android phones, and the CMA's final decision is due by the end of 2026.
What this means for your site
- Status
- Policy change
- Platform
- Google Search
- Affects
- UK search choice screen
- Who
- Android users in the UK
- Effective
- Not specified in the source
- Action needed
- Not specified in the source
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
DuckDuckGo says the UK choice screen planned for Google would leave 30 million Android phones out. Under the proposal, search rivals outside the top five would appear on 35% of screens if 25 qualify. The CMA's final call on Google's UK choice screen is due by the end of 2026, as reported by PPC Land.
How we got here
- Sep 29Google desktop click-through rates fell in Q2 2026 while mobile rates rose, new data shows
Google Search desktop CTR declined while mobile CTR increased in Q2 2026, marking a shift in user click behavior across devices.
- Sep 29Google Appeals EU Mandate Requiring It to Share Users' Search History
Google is challenging an EU Digital Markets Act ruling that would require it to share anonymized search history data with competitors.
- Sep 23UK's CMA Proposes Measures to Make It Easier for Users to Switch Search Engines on Android and Chrome
The UK's CMA has proposed new rules requiring Google to make it simpler for Android and Chrome users to select alternative search engines or AI platforms.