Another interesting thing to note in the recent release[0] is that they now have an Android app in the Play Store, and it will pave the way to include Kagi in the default search engine list for Android and Chrome.
> Additionally, a recent EU ruling presents a significant opportunity for Kagi. Google is now required to include any search engine that meets specific criteria, such as having an app with over 5,000 installs, in the default list for Android and Chrome.
Will this allow kagi to be used on the forced search widget at the bottom of the screen of pixel phones ?
Because the blog mention that Google will be forced to propose kagi in the default search engine list given 5k installs, but even with it installed I cannot set kagi as my search engine on that widget.
On the contrary if I install duckduckgo or bing, I can choose one of them to replace Google in that widget.
EDIT: android itself talks about the 5k limit for the "choice screen" during initial setup [0], but there is no mention of how the list is populated afterwards
> Will this allow kagi to be used on the forced search widget at the bottom of the screen of pixel phones ?
I understand that currently the app does not replace it, but once Kagi has more than 5000 Android installs and we submit a request to be included in choice screen, and given that privilege it would do.
Why would an app be a requirement for a search engine? To me it would make more sense to be aligned with how many users the search engine has. 5,000 unique per month, or whatever.
I have the Kagi app on my iPhone, but just so it can be an extension in Safari. In a perfect world, I would be able to go into the settings, add a custom search engine, and be done with it. No app or extension needed. Then when it hits a threshold it can be added as an easy option for people to pick from a list.
> Why would an app be a requirement for a search engine?
Because otherwise you can’t use it as a default search engine on the platform, because it doesn’t allow it. Same for iOS. They had to write an app to intercept search requests and redirect to Kagi.
You can totally use it as the default search engine, all you have to do is switch to a different launcher that actually gives you the freedom to customize your search settings bases on your preferences. Eg, Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, Niagara, etc.
Well, launcher is a very central part of your phone experience. I don’t think many people will change that just because they can.
Personally, this is one of the reasons I don’t like android anymore. You have to tweak it endlessly to make it halfway work. The platform’s management load is too much. I don’t want to manage and mangle another computer in my pocket. It wastes too much time.
I suppose. Since there was a threshold to cross, I was assuming the search would need to get baked in as an option natively.
I tend to like how Firefox does it, where any search the user goes to, there is an option to add it as a search option and set it as the default. This should be the standard all browsers use. Junking up a phone with apps just for what is ultimately a setting change isn’t ideal.
The hacks Kagi has to do for Safari is annoying. They’ve gone so far as to make their own browser to make it better, though I’m sure that’s not their only reason. I’ve had some issues with the Safari extension over the years. I hope Apple changes their approach on this.
> Additionally, a recent EU ruling presents a significant opportunity for Kagi. Google is now required to include any search engine that meets specific criteria, such as having an app with over 5,000 installs, in the default list for Android and Chrome.
[0] https://kagi.com/changelog#4813