Firefox Update Sees Yahoo Replace Google as Default Search Option

Yahoo Tech
Updated
image

Mozilla rolled out Firefox 34 on Monday, the latest version of its Web browser which, for the desktop version, sees Yahoo push Google aside to become its default search provider.

The group behind the popular browser announced a couple of weeks ago that it’d be ending its 10-year relationship with Google after inking of a brand new deal with Yahoo, the firm known many years ago as “the king of search.”

The change means that if you’re downloading Firefox for the very first time, Yahoo will appear as your default search engine. However, if you’re an existing user based in the U.S. and you haven’t previously changed your search default, the update will ask if you’d like to switch to Yahoo. To stick with your current choice, simply click “Later.”

Related: Battle of the browsers

Mozilla said it decided to end its practice of having a global default search provider in the interest of choice and independence, so while Yahoo takes care of search for users in North America, Russia-based users get Yandex, while those in China get Baidu.

Bing, DuckDuckGo, eBay, Amazon, Twitter, and Wikipedia continue to be offered as alternative search options.

Yahoo boss Marissa Mayer said she was “thrilled” with the deal and described it as the most significant partnership for Yahoo in many years.

With 100 billion Web searches made by Firefox users every year, Yahoo’s deal looks set to breathe some new life into its search market business, with a boost in ad revenue looking highly likely.

The precise terms of Yahoo’s deal with Mozilla aren’t known, but the fact that Google had reportedly been paying Mozilla somewhere in the region of $300 million a year to be the browser’s default search provider suggests Yahoo is paying a sizable amount to take over from the Mountain View company.

Firefox 34 also brings with it an improved search bar, a new WebRTC video chat feature called Hello, and a bunch of security fixes. You can check out Mozilla’s full list of new features and changes here.