UK Would Require Search Choice Screens on Android and Chrome

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has proposed requiring Google and Android phone makers to show users an explicit choice of search provider on Android phones and in Chrome, instead of loading Google Search by default. The updated proposals were published on 23 September 2026.

The choice would appear when a buyer first sets up a phone or opens Chrome for the first time, with the question asked again once a year. The duty would apply to both Google and the manufacturers, covering Android setup and first-run Chrome on relevant profiles. Details were set out by GOV.UK and summarised by Engadget.

UK users have seen this type of screen before. Choice screens already appear at Android setup and in Chrome, a point Google has made in its own response to the CMA process. What is now under consultation would make those screens a binding legal duty under conduct rules, with standard timing and frequency. The CMA had already suggested this approach in a January package of measures for Google Search services in the UK.

The proposal goes beyond a simple list of search engines in two ways. First, users could pick AI assistants, meaning chat-style helpers that can answer questions, as long as those assistants meet set technical and security requirements. Second, all search providers would have to credit publisher content in results, so users can see and reach the original source.

The proposals fall under the UK digital markets regime, the set of rules for firms with major market power. The CMA gave Google Search Strategic Market Status, a designation that lets the regulator set tailored conduct requirements. It separately gave that status to Google's Mobile Platform, which covers Android, Play, Chrome and Blink, the underlying browser engine. The review of Search began in January 2025, with the designations following in October 2025.

A February 2026 timetable had already laid out next steps. It listed September 2026 for an Android choice screen and start of testing, alongside a Chrome choice screen on personal profiles and start of testing. The September update builds on that timetable rather than replacing it.

Two earlier steps this year set the direction. In March, Google was developing an option to let users opt out of AI answers in Search during UK scrutiny, according to Reuters reporting. In June, the CMA ordered greater transparency on how search rankings work as part of new rules for Google's search services. Those steps cover ranking logic and AI-generated presentation, while the current proposal covers distribution defaults, meaning which service is pre-selected.

There is also context from the United States, where prosecutors argued to a judge that Google must sell its Chrome browser. That argument was reported in January 2025 and remains a proposal in litigation, not a completed sale. It matters for UK readers only as background on how far browser remedies are being discussed elsewhere.

The broader context here is that for platform operators and enterprise buyers, the practical details will shape results. Screen order, wording, whether a choice carries across profile sync and device reset, and how managed company phones are handled all affect outcomes. For search and assistant providers, the eligibility bar and the attribution rule will shape work on result display, source metadata and click-through paths.

In my view, defaults stay in place because they remove friction, not because users have no preference, so asking again each year is the part most likely to change behaviour over time.

Looking ahead, if adopted, the package would give UK Android and Chrome users regular, explicit control over search and assistant defaults, with clearer paths back to publishers. That small change to the interface could open up lasting room for rivals and publishers.