DuckDuckGo installs jump 30% after Google's AI search overhaul
After Google pushed AI deeper into Search, more US users switched to DuckDuckGo, especially on iPhone.
What happened
After Google made AI central to Search at I/O 2026, DuckDuckGo app installs rose sharply in the US.
The numbers
- US installs grew 18.1% week over week on average, peaking at 30.5% on May 25.
- On iOS, average growth was 33%, peaking at 69.9%.
- Visits to noai.duckduckgo.com grew 22.7%.
- Apptopia saw a 29% rise in average daily US downloads and 12% globally.
But
- DuckDuckGo has about 2% of the US search market.
- Google says AI Mode has passed one billion monthly users.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg: "Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out."
Founder and editor-in-chief of Kurd Developers. Phone and tech news on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
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