Smaller indie web browsers eat into Safari’s EU share after DMA takes effect
Smaller web browsers are gaining some traction in the European Union after the Digital Markets Act (DMA) started requiring designated gatekeepers like Apple and Google to make it easier to switch from default web browsers like Safari and Chrome, respectively.
Reuters:
Cyprus-based Aloha Browser said users in the EU jumped 250% in March – one of the first companies to give monthly growth numbers since the new regulations came in. “Before, EU was our number four market, right now it’s number two,” Aloha CEO Andrew Frost Moroz said in an interview.
Norway’s Vivaldi, Germany’s Ecosia and U.S.-based Brave have also seen user numbers rise following the new regulation.
U.S.-based DuckDuckGo, which has about 100 million users, and its bigger rival, Norway-based Opera are also seeing growth in users, but said the choice screen rollout is still not complete.
“We are experiencing record user numbers in the EU right now,” said Jan Standal, vice president at Opera, which counts over 324 million global users.
Apple is now showing up to 11 browsers in addition to Safari in the choice screens curated for each of the 27 countries in the EU, and will update those screens once every year for each country.
While DuckDuckGo and Opera are offered in Apple’s list, opens new tab in all 27 countries, Aloha is in 26 countries, Ecosia is in 13 and Vivaldi in 8.
A Google spokesperson said they do not have data on choice screens to share yet.
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MacDailyNews Take: Safari will be just fine in the EU and everywhere else.
MacDailyNews Note: Under the new EU rules, mobile operating system makers, i.e. Apple and Google, are required to show a choice screen where users can select a web browser, search engine, and virtual assistant as they set up their phones.
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