DuckDuckGo reported a 30.5% week-over-week increase in U.S. mobile app installations on May 25th. This surge followed Google's I/O 2026 conference and the announcement of its AI-driven search overhaul.
DuckDuckGo’s CEO attributed the growth to users rejecting mandatory AI integration that lacks opt-out options. The adoption spike occurred primarily in the U.S. and on iOS devices.
Visits to DuckDuckGo’s AI-free search version also rose sharply. These trends reflect a broader user preference for traditional link-based results over mandatory AI services.