# DuckDuckGo saw a spike in installs and traffic following Google I/O 2026.

*genai · news · 2026-05-26 · Tom's Guide*

## Key points

- DuckDuckGo saw U.S. installs rise an average of 18.1% after Google I/O 2026.
- DuckDuckGo's iOS installs peaked at nearly 70% growth on May 25 following Google's AI announcements.
- Visits to DuckDuckGo's no-AI search version rose an average of 22.7% week-over-week post-Google I/O.
- U.S. growth far outpaced international rates, linking user switch to Google’s U.S.-centric AI rollout.
- DuckDuckGo attributes user migration to giving users AI opt-out choices, unlike Google’s forced AI use.

**Companies:** Google, DuckDuckGo
**Countries:** United States

[Read the full story on Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/google-is-force-feeding-ai-with-no-way-to-opt-duckduckgo-ceo-says-installs-are-surging-after-google-i-o)

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Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/d4013242-0a74-4c58-bda4-43e74954e6d0/duckduckgo-saw-a-spike-in-installs-and-traffic-following-google-io-2026-u-s-inst
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