TECHNOLOGY · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
UK CMA’s Search Choice Plan Sparks Call for Browser Choice, Mozilla Urges Unified Approach
WHY IT MATTERS
Providing both browser and search choice empowers UK users to select the tools they trust, reduces default‑bias, and aligns with evolving AI‑driven browsing experiences.
What happened
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has released updated plans that will require Google to present users on new Android devices with a choice of search service, covering the default search app, home‑screen widget and Chrome. Mozilla argues that the proposal addresses only half the problem, as most UK smartphone users use a preinstalled browser set as default without ever choosing it.
Mozilla’s 2023 experiment showed that 98 % of participants wanted a browser choice screen, and that such screens can improve retention.
The organisation is urging the CMA to launch browser choice screens alongside search choice screens, mirroring the EU Digital Markets Act and Japan’s approach, to reduce confusion and give users full control over the tools they use daily.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Why is the CMA asking us to choose the furniture before the house? The UK’s search choice screens need browser choice screens alongside them
Mozilla (organization statement) · Gemma Petrie · Corporate primary source; facts only, no copied text or images; link and attribution required
CORRECTIONS & UPDATES
- Revision 1 · Initial ingestion · Oct 20, 2026, 8:45 AM
- Revision 2 · Source update detected · Oct 20, 2026, 8:45 AM