Google under pressure from UK regulator to give users more choices for search engines on Android and Chrome

Britain’s competition regulator wants Google to give Android and Chrome users more control over which services they use to search the web, including AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) unveiled the strengthened proposals on Wednesday, which would also require Google to ask users if they want to keep or change their default search provider annually.

The CMA has now updated the proposal it initially sent in for search choices as AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity become more widely used. The regulator first proposed the rules in early 2026, but now claims the latest changes are a direct reflection of how quickly the way people search for information is changing.

The proposal’s consultation has a deadline set for October 9, with the CMA expected to make a final decision on the search-choice requirement by the end of the year.

What Google would have to change

Google will be expected to give Android users a list of available search services when they set up a phone, and Chrome users would also receive a similar choice the first time they launch the browser. The company would then have to show the prompt again each year, giving users another chance to change their default annually.

AI assistants could also be included on those choice screens if they meet the CMA’s technical and security requirements.

Another important requirement added to the proposal for providers that would potentially make the list is clearly attributing publisher content so users can see where information came from and access the original source.

UK users can already change their search provider on Android and Chrome, but the annual reminder would be a completely new requirement.

Google wanted a different solution

Google had argued that showing users a search-choice screen every year could become frustrating. Instead, the company proposed a permanent option in device settings that would let users change their search provider whenever they wanted. The CMA, however, rejected that approach and kept the annual prompt in its revised proposals.

AI assistants also raise a technical issue, as they all work in different ways which could cause a bit of a problem. Google’s Gemini is built into Google Search, with ChatGPT and Perplexity both being separate services that would need to work differently and have custom integrations.

The latest step in the CMA’s Google case

The search-choice proposal is the latest step in the CMA’s wider case against Google. This case started in October 2025, after the regulator noted the tech giant as having strategic market status in general search and search advertising.

The UK regulator has already introduced other measures, including publisher controls in June and new requirements focused on fair ranking and data portability later on.

The Professional Publishers Association has sought an exemption, while the News Media Association warned that the changes could send less traffic to publishers.

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