Mozilla reveals that since March 2024, when the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandated that mobile phones and tablets display a default browser selection screen, Firefox has gained over 6 million new users across Europe. On average, one user selects Firefox via this interface every 10 seconds. Mozilla also noted that the retention rate among users who actively switch to Firefox through the selection screen is five times higher than those who install it via organic channels.
Meanwhile, independent academic research comparing Firefox’s daily active users (DAU) in the EU with those in 43 non-EU countries found that within 15 months of introducing the selection screen on iOS, the EU’s DAU count rose by 113% compared to projections under a scenario without the DMA. On Android, where the selection screen only appears during initial device setup or factory resets, growth was more modest at 12%. It isn’t just Firefox benefiting — DuckDuckGo reported a 40% surge in usage of its Android browser, while Opera, Vivaldi, and Aloha also saw increases. Currently, roughly 310 million desktops and laptops in the EU lack such mechanisms; Mozilla is urging regulators to extend similar rules to PCs, specifically criticizing Microsoft’s Windows system for employing opaque designs that steer users toward Edge.