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I have eight options available to me in mobile safari other than using bookmarks to use any search engine that exists. It is easy to conceive of reasons why a

I have eight options available to me in mobile safari other than using bookmarks to use any search engine that exists. It is easy to conceive of reasons why a company would not want to enable native UI elements to rely on external services without having vetted those services or established a relationship with them for recourse in the event of issues. It is harder--though not impossible--to conceive of ways to avoid these issues. If I add an arbitrary default search engine via URL, and that search engine is later compromised or serves up garbage or malware, that's a problem for Apple, even though we'd all like to believe we're above-average users who wouldn't blame Apple for our own choices.

ipaddr 5y ago
That doesn't make sense. Why would someone who knows how to find a different search engine, change the setting be part of the group of people who are new or otherwise clueless? Apple should provide the option.
- SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
  They'd be doing it because Shmaleksandr O'Kogan built a Google wrapper with a cool This Is Your Digital Life feature. After Cambridge Analytica, it's pretty hard to believe that user opt-in is an effective defense against data privacy scandals.
- pwinnski 5y ago
  Are you kidding? I have to assume you're not trolling, and really can't conceive of an entire large category of people who might, in response to a Facebook post, follow step-by-step instructions to change their default search engine without understanding the ramifications thereof, or how to change it back. There are more people in that category than in the category of people who change their default search engine for good reason, knowing that it may deliver a less-optimal experience than Google under some circumstances.
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    This doesn't make sense if they changed the setting through a tutorial they could change it back through that same process.
    - pwinnski 5y ago
      Interacting with humans has shown me many, many examples of people who can follow steps written by a marketer to push their nonsense without any clue of how to reverse the process. What doesn't make sense is believing that every human being is always intelligent and rational and never forgets anything.

ipaddr 5y ago

That doesn't make sense. Why would someone who knows how to find a different search engine, change the setting be part of the group of people who are new or otherwise clueless? Apple should provide the option.

SpicyLemonZest 5y ago
They'd be doing it because Shmaleksandr O'Kogan built a Google wrapper with a cool This Is Your Digital Life feature. After Cambridge Analytica, it's pretty hard to believe that user opt-in is an effective defense against data privacy scandals.
pwinnski 5y ago
Are you kidding? I have to assume you're not trolling, and really can't conceive of an entire large category of people who might, in response to a Facebook post, follow step-by-step instructions to change their default search engine without understanding the ramifications thereof, or how to change it back. There are more people in that category than in the category of people who change their default search engine for good reason, knowing that it may deliver a less-optimal experience than Google under some circumstances.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  This doesn't make sense if they changed the setting through a tutorial they could change it back through that same process.
  - pwinnski 5y ago
    Interacting with humans has shown me many, many examples of people who can follow steps written by a marketer to push their nonsense without any clue of how to reverse the process. What doesn't make sense is believing that every human being is always intelligent and rational and never forgets anything.