Google goes to great lengths to be your default search engine and keep you from switching. Here’s why you should make your own choice.
There’s a setting on your phone and web browser that Google is desperate to keep you from discovering. How desperate? In 2021 alone, Google paid Apple, Samsung and others $26.3 billion to keep it buried.
Most people haven’t thought much about the search function on their devices, much less how Google got there. But this default funny business might make you take a second look at not only Google, but also your trust in Apple, Samsung and other companies for selling you out.The reason we’re able to pull back the curtain on the big business of default settings is because of anunderway in Washington, one of the largest in decades. The U.S.
We’re getting an inside view of how Google exploits this behavioral science, sometimes called the “power of defaults.” The idea is that defaults can nudge people’s choices one way or another, because most people are too distracted or confused to change them. Our apps and devices come filled with settings that benefit tech companies more than us — the “
To put that to the test, my colleague Tatum Hunter and I hit the streets of San Francisco and asked strangers to show us how to change the default search engine on their phone. We brought a stopwatch to time them. Samsung, too, actively makes design decisions that help Google rather than us. Lawyers for the DOJ flagged a 2018 document showing Samsung had made a change in its web browser that reduced the friction for people who wanted to change their search engine. But then Google sent a complaint saying that was a violation of Samsung’s search deal with Google. After that, Samsung deleted this change, increasing the friction.I get that Googling is to searching what Kleenex is to sneezing.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The $26 trillion Treasury market is showing resilience in a year of extreme volatility, regulators sayJoy Wiltermuth is a news editor and senior markets reporter based in San Francisco.
Read more »
Speaker Johnson: GOP Funding Israel Aid By Gutting the IRS Is Just Us Being “Good Stewards of the Taxpayer’s Resources”A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report found the bill would add $26 billion to the deficit.
Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 will likely include on-device generative AI called Samsung GaussSamsung’s next Galaxy S24 handset could debut with on-device generative AI. Samsung has started to detail its Gauss AI model, with plans to add AI to mobile devices.
Read more »
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Google Pixel 7: there’s a clear winnerSamsung's Galaxy S23 faces off against the Google Pixel 7. Which Android phone is the better small flagship for your wallet and pocket? Let's find out.
Read more »
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14: Apple’s grip is starting to slipThe Galaxy S23 is here, but how does Samsung's latest entry-level flagship compare with Apple's more established iPhone 14?
Read more »
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max: Apple better watch outSamsung has unveiled the top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra. How does it stack up against Apple's flagship iPhone 14 Pro Max?
Read more »