Apple in iOS and iPadOS 14 is allowing third-party apps to be set as alternatives to the default mail and browser apps on iPhone and iPad, and developers with of browser and mail apps are implementing support now that the updates are available.
Privacy-focused browser DuckDuckGo is now able to be set as the default browser app on the iPhone and the iPad, serving as an alternative to Safari. With DuckDuckGo set as the default, links that you tap on an iPhone or iPad will open in DuckDuckGo instead of Safari.
In a blog post, DuckDuckGo says that setting the DuckDuckGo browser of default will provide protection from trackers by blocking third-party tracking requests outright as well as offering greater privacy for web searches and browsing.
DuckDuckGo can be set as the default browser app by installing DuckDuckGo from the App Store, opening up the Settings app, selecting DuckDuckGo in the apps list, and then tapping on Default Browser App.
Chrome and Microsoft Edge have also implemented support for iOS 14 and can be set as default browser apps as well.
There's also a new DuckDuckGo search widget that can be installed on the Home Screen of the iPhone.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall.
Design
There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site.
The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out.
That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook.
Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing.
Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1.
Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China.
Our original article follows below.
Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device.
According...
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media.
According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June."
Gurman made the same comment ...
Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works.
iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week.
To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
I've used Google search for as long as I can remember but recently over the last month or so I've steadily moved to DuckDuckGo, it's amazing the amount Google filters out and censors. I'm actually having to go to DDG in order to find stuff these days.
If anyone cared to to take a peak at the number of tracking cookies forced without your consent into the browser cache, they'd be appalled at the Wild Wild West that resides in there. It's a free for all of data tracking.
Pro Tip: Delete your cookies and browsing history after leaving a website or pay the consequences. Actually to get rid of trackers held in RAM, the browser has to be quit too. The Data Trackers pretty much ruined the Internet
I notice Safari on IpadOS14 is really fast. I never tried the betas.
Does Apple still keep the turbo javascript engine or whatever its called all to themselves still? Or do other browsers get access to this too. This is a big factor as it seems Safari has turned up the performance up another notch (on IOS at-least)
It's nice that they offer this for those who love DuckDuckGo, but i'm very happy with Safari (with adblocker of course). I love handoff and iCloud Tabs and it's a fast (snappy) and reliable browser. I am using DDG more as a search engine now.
