Google said it will add a new setting to the Pixel Launcher in Europe to allow users to change the default search engine

Google Pixel smartphone users in Europe have reported seeing an option to change the default search engine. The option is said to appear in the settings of the Pixel Launcher, the default launcher for all Pixel smartphones. The option to change the search engine is said to have been proposed by the tech giant to comply with the European Union’s (EU) Digital Markets Act (DMA), which recently came into effect. Notably, Apple also added support for alternative app markets and allowed third-party browsers to run their browser engine to comply with the act.

The information was shared by advisor Mishaal Rahman at X (formerly known as Twitter). Based on screenshots shared by a Mastodon user, Rahman said, “One user told me that he received a notification from the Search Engine Selector app to select his search engine. After changing the search provider, the search bar icon is updated to reflect the user’s provider selection.” The notification was also confirmed by several other European-based users of Pixel phones.

Clicking on the notification will take the user to a new setting option called Search engine. To access it manually, users can go to Pixel Launcher Settings > *Home screen search settings > Search engine*. After a user enters the menu, a message appears: “Select the application you will use to search the web. This will affect search and content on your home screen.

Beneath the message, users will reportedly see all the search engines they have installed on their phones. Some of the popular search engines besides Google are Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Perplexity AI.

Google recently published a blog post detailing how it will comply with the new regulations. The tech giant said it has implemented more than 20 product changes to search results and added an option to choose whether or not users want to share their data with Google services. It also mentioned that it will soon add an “additional selection screen” to allow users to change the default search engine or browser. Based on the wizard information, it looks like Google has started rolling out this feature. However, it is yet to expand to non-Pixel Android phones.