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The surge was most pronounced on Apple devices. DuckDuckGo's iOS app installs averaged 33% week-over-week growth, peaking at 69.9% on 25 May. Visits to the company's "No AI" web search portal, which strips all AI features by default, rose 22.7% on average and peaked at 27.7% on 24 May. The company said US growth "ran multiples of the international rate," suggesting the spike was a direct response to Google's US-centric rollout, and noted that momentum held through the Memorial Day weekend when app activity usually declines.
DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg was blunt: "Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want."
Chief communications officer Kamyl Bazbaz tied the backlash to Google's market power, pointing to a federal ruling in U.S. v. Google that found "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly," adding that "monopolists don't worry about users leaving."
DuckDuckGo Installs Surge as Users Flee Google's AI Search Overhaul
May 27, 2026
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4:59
DuckDuckGo saw US mobile app installs jump 18.1% week-on-week from 20 to 25 May, peaking at 30.5%, after Google replaced its search box with an AI-powered interface at I/O 2026. The privacy-focused company says users want the choice to opt out of AI, something Google no longer offers.
A Privacy Search Engine Rides a Wave
DuckDuckGo is enjoying a sharp spike in new users following Google I/O 2026, where Google unveiled what it called the biggest redesign of Search in more than 25 years. The privacy-focused search engine reported that US mobile app installs grew 18.1% week-on-week on average from 20 to 25 May, with peak growth hitting 30.5% on 25 May.The surge was most pronounced on Apple devices. DuckDuckGo's iOS app installs averaged 33% week-over-week growth, peaking at 69.9% on 25 May. Visits to the company's "No AI" web search portal, which strips all AI features by default, rose 22.7% on average and peaked at 27.7% on 24 May. The company said US growth "ran multiples of the international rate," suggesting the spike was a direct response to Google's US-centric rollout, and noted that momentum held through the Memorial Day weekend when app activity usually declines.
Google's Overhaul Sparks Backlash
At Google I/O on 20 May, the company replaced its traditional search box with an AI-powered interface built on Gemini 3.5 Flash. The redesigned experience accepts text, images, files, and video, and drops users into AI-generated interactive results rather than conventional blue links. Google also introduced "information agents" that monitor the web continuously on behalf of subscribers.DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg was blunt: "Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out. As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want."
Chief communications officer Kamyl Bazbaz tied the backlash to Google's market power, pointing to a federal ruling in U.S. v. Google that found "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly," adding that "monopolists don't worry about users leaving."
A Choice, Not a Rejection
DuckDuckGo framed the moment less as an anti-AI revolt than as a demand for user control. One of its most popular recent features is an AI image filter that removes AI-generated images from results, while another, Search Assist, uses AI to generate answers anonymously. "People just want a choice," Bazbaz said. The story highlights a growing tension in the search market: the difference between offering AI as an option and making it mandatory.Published May 27, 2026 at 4:18pm
