Technology media MacRumors yesterday (November 5) published a blog post reporting that, for compliance with Japan’s newly issued regulations, Apple, in the first developer beta of iOS 26.2, now supports not only the installation of third-party app stores but also allows users of the iPhone 17 and other devices to customise their default search engine.

According to feedback from Japanese iPhone users, after upgrading to the first developer beta of iOS 26.2, the system will proactively display a prompt guiding users to choose one of several search engines as the default option — a departure from the previous practice of using Google as the only default search engine.

Apple complies with Japan’s new regulation: After upgrading to iOS 26.2 on devices like the iPhone 17, users can select a default search engine for the first time.

The blog post cited by ITHome explains that this change is rooted in the guidelines recently issued by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC). The legislation clearly requires that during the OS's initial setup, users must be provided with a neutral search engine choice screen.

The law officially takes effect on December 18, 2025, and Apple has chosen to implement the feature in iOS 26.2 to ensure compliance.

On this new selection interface, Japanese users can freely choose among Google, Yahoo Japan, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia.

In addition to the search-engine choice, iOS 26.2’s other significant change is that it will, in Japan, for the first time allow support for third-party app stores in line with the same law’s requirements.

The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.