The news: US installs of DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser and search engine spiked after Google made Search the starting point for genAI services.

• DuckDuckGo’s US app installs rose 18.1% over six days, peaking at 30.5% on May 25, the company said, per TechCrunch.
• iPhone installs alone jumped an average of 33% week over week (WoW), with a 69.9% peak.
• Traffic to DuckDuckGo’s NoAI site grew 22.7% on average WoW. Growth was mostly US-specific.

“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg said in a statement. “We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want.”

Zooming out: While DuckDuckGo’s US market share was just 1.74% in April, per StatCounter search‑engine rankings, the recent spike in US iOS installs indicates a desire for choice and privacy and a resistance to AI by default without opt-outs.

It remains to be seen if these installs will continue, but DuckDuckGo’s surge reveals some users will leave their default search engine when the core experience changes. 

Implications for brands: The value in this consumer-led spike lies in proving that privacy‑focused, AI‑free search has a dedicated and growing audience, even if it doesn’t move the needle in market share.

• Brands should monitor short-term behavioral signals like installs and traffic while also tracking whether those gains stick over time. 
• Diversify media and search strategies—across AI-driven and privacy-first environments—to hedge against platform volatility. 
• Plan buys around evolving user intent, preference for control, and tolerance for default AI experiences for more cohesive user engagement.