You can now set ChatGPT as your default search engine on...

If you’re constantly consulting ChatGPT, you’ll be happy to learn that you can now use the AI as your main search engine on Safari for iPhone. After tweaking some settings (more on that below), you can basically start a conversation with ChatGPT from the search bar in Apple’s web browser.

Once you hit enter, you’ll land on the ChatGPT website, where you can carry on the chat with follow-up queries as normal. However, the feature has its pros and cons. Here’s what you need to know about searching with ChatGPT on iPhone, including how to set it up and how it works.

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Thanks to a recent update to the ChatGPT app, you can now use a new Safari extension that essentially replaces your current search engine with the AI chatbot. By default, Google is baked into Apple’s browser, but you can ditch it at any time for an alternative such as Yahoo, Bing or DuckDuckGo – and now ChatGPT.

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If you don’t have it already, start by downloading the ChatGPT app. Otherwise, make sure it’s updated to the latest version. Now, you should be good to go. So, is it better than Google? Well, it’s not a direct replacement for Google Search, if that’s what you’re wondering.

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While it’s a great shortcut for reaching the chatbot, it’s simply a lot easier and quicker to find websites, restaurants, store opening hours, and directions from Google. And, when it comes to real-time information – like breaking news, live sports scores, weather updates, or product prices – Google is still king.

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On the other hand, ChatGPT is great for summarising articles, explaining complex topics, generating content, and brainstorming ideas. It can even help debug code or suggest travel itineraries. Yes, it can search the web, but it mainly does that to inform its answers. Ultimately, you may be better off using the ChatGPT app for that sort of stuff, anyway.

Don’t forget, on the latest iPhones, you can also summon ChatGPT via Siri if you have Apple Intelligence enabled. And, you can message it via WhatsApp, too. So, there are plenty of ways to interact with the bot while keeping Google or another dedicated search engine as your main portal to the web.