Although the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came onto the scene on May 2, 2023, large technology companies classified as “threshold gatekeepers” had implemented this law until the last moment. March 6, 2024 To make the necessary arrangements to comply with the new European Union (EU) legislation. After the aforementioned period, users began to detect some changes in the platforms we use on a daily basis.

For example, on our phone, the system asked us which default browser we wanted to use. This selection screen came to iPhone with iOS 17.4 and has started rolling out to the latest Android devices. This is exactly a requirement of DMA, which aims to find a solution to the dominance of large platforms and offer various alternatives to users.

Small browsers grow behind the selection screen

Change default browser before DMA driven change It wasn’t that simple. On iOS we had to go to: Settings > Safari > Default browser app. And on Android one Settings > Applications > Default apps. It looks like the new selection screen is causing many lesser-known alternative browsers to receive a wave of new users.

According to Reuters, the most notable growth was recorded by Aloha Browser. This app says downloads have increased by 250% since the DMA went into effect. This privacy-focused offering now claims to have 10 million active users worldwide. However, since it does not collect location data, it cannot determine precisely where its users are located.

iOS default browser selection screen

Opera, which has maintained a small but vital market share for years, recorded 63 percent growth between February and March this year. TechCrunch reports that iOS users who choose the browser as default grew by 39% Between March 3 and April 4. Vivaldi, on the other hand, has recorded a 36.7% increase in downloads within the EU since the DMA came into force.

Brave, a “custom” browser with artificial intelligence features, says daily installs on iOS have increased from 7,500 to 11,000 since the new browser selection screen appeared. The company also says it recorded a peak of 14,000 daily installs. Comparing these figures to those before the DMA, Brave says they have almost doubled.

Pictures | Aloha Browser | José A. Lizana (Elmalarfera)

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