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iPhone users, here’s how to set ChatGPT as your default search engine in Safari

After Google Chrome on desktop, ChatGPT now even works as the default search option on Safari for iPhone. Here's how it works.

Published on: Apr 22, 2025, 12:54:18 IST
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ChatGPT is undoubtedly the most popular AI tool in existence today. As things stand, many people have started using it for everyday queries, so much so that it’s even replacing Google for some. The primary limitation, however, is that you need to have a separate app installed on your phone in order to search for something, or open ChatGPT separately in your browser.

iPhone users can now set ChatGPT Search as the default search option on Safari mobile. (Unsplash/solenfeyissa)
iPhone users can now set ChatGPT Search as the default search option on Safari mobile. (Unsplash/solenfeyissa)
Shaurya Sharma

Ideally, one would simply type a search query directly into Safari/Chrome and expect to get answers like a normal search engine. While ChatGPT isn’t available in the literal sense as a search engine, there are definitely ways to work around this and actually use ChatGPT as the default search option in Safari.

On desktop, this was previously possible with Google Chrome when ChatGPT search was launched last year. But now, you can do the same on the Safari mobile app as well, and this means, iPhone and iPad users can now use ChatGPT Search directly.

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Here are the steps to set it up on an iPhone:

Before you begin, make sure you download the ChatGPT app from the Apple App Store on your iPhone and set it up, and then follow these steps.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down, go to Apps, and look for Safari.
  3. In Safari settings, scroll down and tap on Extensions.
  4. You will see the option to allow ChatGPT Search. Turn it on.
  5. You can also enable ChatGPT Search for Private Browsing.
  6. You will also see a permission setting for google.com, set it to Allow.

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Next, open the Safari app on iOS

  1. Tap the menu icon (either at the top left or bottom left, depending on where your address bar is).
  2. Tap Manage Extensions.
  3. From the list, enable ChatGPT Search.

Now, whenever you search for something in the address bar, it will be done through ChatGPT. Since ChatGPT can now browse the web for you, it will provide answers based on the latest information it finds online.

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  • Shaurya Sharma
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shaurya Sharma

    Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers. He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey. Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol carsRead More