How To: Choosing Google as Internet Explorer Search on WP8/Nokia Lumia 920/820
As nice as it is to use BING, (and Bing search integrated is actually quite decent if given the chance, to my surprise) I’m just in preference of the big G. On my WP7/WP7.5 device, I either used a google tile or surfcube in order to have google as my main search provider because you could not yet set what you wanted your search bar engine to be.
In WP8, there are several small changes which means, well you now can.
It’s just in
Settings>Advanced Settings>Default Search provider
Next time I’m typing in the URL search bar:
I’ve taken screenshots as I’m just waiting at uni and have no other phone to snap pictures of it. Not sure if it’s the 920 having a stronger antenna or the fact I’m on Orange now (EE on signal bar same as T-Mobile) but I actually have fast internet here at my second base hospital to send myself these screenshots.
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Hey, thanks for reading my post. My name is Jay and I'm a medical student at the University of Manchester. When I can, I blog here at mynokiablog.com and tweet now and again @jaymontano. We also have a twitter and facebook accounts @mynokiablog and Facebook.com/mynokiablog. Check out the tips, guides and rules for commenting >>click<< Contact us at tips(@)mynokiablog.com or email me directly on jay[at]mynokiablog.comSubscribe
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Hi Jay,
Can we download direct from browser?
As far as I can tell you can still only open and listen/view music and video files but not save them. Unless I am missing something.
However, there is e.g. an app called Flash Videos that says it can download and save movies locally for off line watching. So, it sounds like (have not actually tried the app myself) app developers could provide apps to do it.
promoting/endorsing competitor’s product?
This is a Nokia-blog. Are you trying to say, that Nokia users should only use Bing? What is the logic behind that?
It’s just a search engine. I don’t see anything wrong with using either Google or Bing (or even Yahoo if Microsoft is willing to expand the search engine library) in it.
But… but… but… MS are evil and forcing you to use their products!
Except they’re not.
Another troll whine busted.
If so… how to get an alternate browser and use it as default?
Or how to change search provider under wp7.x?
Bing and IE really sucks. The first much more than the later.
Bing simply can’t replace Google, at least here in Germany, it seldom gets the results I want
IE in Windows Phone is a different story. No problems with it
not really. It is too simple and lacks a lot of features that would make it a useful browser. MS should allow alternate browser or at least add a lot more to their own if they are too afraid of competition
Which features are you missing in WP IE?
adblock, better tab handling and small details like fast scrolling that Opera Mobile has. On a site like MNB it would be helpful. Textwrapping etc.
Other browsers are available, as browsers are available on iOS.
Can we directly download songs and videos from the browser?or is it just only PDFs …
Hi Jay, what a funny coincidence, I just emailed you yesterday saying I could write a short story on this for you!
the new tabs on the Bing search you scroll sideways to are quite handy too.
Hi, sorry, I haven’t been able to check mails as much yesterday, stuck in hospital all day then had badminton and then loads of other things on. I don’t think I got around to blogging much yesterday.
Good coincidence though. I was going through settings to see if I could do something else actually and noticed an odd option to switch to google. HELLO! Yes!
Bing search scroll, is that the integrated one?
No worries!
Yeah, the integrated one where when you tap the search key you can then scroll sideways to various tabs. Enabling suggestions in the search settings should make them more tailored to you so probably worth enabling that.
Speaking of settings (this might be worth an update to you story as its search related), you can enable in settings allowing the search key to work in the lock screen too! When you long press the search key in the lock screen it takes you to the Bing page directly. Was not there in WP7.5.
Finally, and I am not sure if this is in WP7.5 or not as don’t have my 900 here to check, there is “music history” in the search options under the … menu, which shows you the music “identify this music” searches you’ve performed. Was that in 7.5 too?
Hopefully Microsoft can integrate other search engines like Yahoo! and Ask into the OS. Not that I use either of them regularly, but more choice is better.
Can you also change the search button on the homescreen to use Google instead of bing?
I wish they’d give us the option to choose Yahoo as well (I’ve become quite accustomed to the ecosystem lately).
It really should support DuckDuckGo – with the !bangs you can easily use any search engine if you want it specifically, without having to go to the website. Too bad not enough people know about it yet.
Google not appear in my search provider list? How can i install google search provider?
Hmm. Might be a market/country dependent feature then. Did you follow the steps (I.e. go to advanced settings in IE)?
My HTC 8X doesn’t have that feature…i…hate…bing…
Does this work on non-Nokia devices? I don’t see the option on my HTC 8X (AT&T). I do see it on a Lumia 920 belonging to one of our family members.
squidoo.com/how-to-change-address-bar-search-on-firefox-chrome-internet-explorer
Apparently, changing the search language to some languages like Russia (Settings -> Region and Language) will cause the capacitive search button to default to Google search as well.