iOS 14 Tips: How to set DuckDuckGo as default browser on iPhone

How to set DuckDuckGo Browser as a default option?


Are you tired of using Safari’s boring interface? Do you need a browser that adds some extra features atop the regular browsing experience? You can always use a third-party alternative. However, until recently, if you wanted all the links that you tap on your iPhone to open in a browser of your choice, you simply couldn’t.

But, with iOS 14, you can now do that. The latest iPhone and iPad operating system now let you set third-party browser and email apps as the default option. I’ll get to the instructions in a bit. But first, it’s important to note that third-party browsers are built upon Apple’s Safari WebKit framework.

Browsers cannot use their own frameworks, which means every third-party browser that you install on your iPhone is yet another Safari, albeit with different skin and some additional features.

What DuckDuckGo offers might be a bit useful after all. It’s appeal highly relies on its promise of privacy features like tracking protection and enforcement of encryption globally across all websites. So, if you don’t want every website you visit tracking you online, DuckDuckGo is probably the best option.

Here’s how to set DuckDuckGo as a default browser on iPhone on iOS 14.

How to set DuckDuckGo as a default browser on iOS 14

The process for setting a third-party browser as a default option is the same for every third-party app that supports the feature.

  • Install DuckDuckGo from the App Store.
  • Head over to the Settings app and scroll down until you see DuckDuckGo under the apps section.
  • Tap on the DuckDuckGo tab.
  • Tap on Default Browser App.
  • Choose DuckDuckGo. A blue tick should appear beside its label:

That said, the dynamics of third-party apps that are set as default is interesting. Hyperlinks that you tap within regular apps will automatically open in the browser that you set as default. However, some apps do not let you jump directly to a third-party browser by putting forth a popup first to require user confirmation. One such app that comes to my mind is WhatsApp.

When you tap on a link within WhatsApp, it immediately displays a popup asking for confirmation:

At the same time, some apps like Gmail do not let you directly jump over to the default email app that you set. This may be because Google doesn’t want people to redirect to any other third-party browser that’s not either Chrome or Safari.