OpenAI today updated the ChatGPT app to add a new Safari Extension that allows ChatGPT to be used as the default search engine for searches made through the Safari search bar.
After updating to the latest version of the ChatGPT app, the ChatGPT Search Extension can be enabled in the Safari section of the Settings app. Turning it on directs all queries typed in to the Safari search bar to ChatGPT Search instead of Google or whatever your default search engine is set to.
Turning on this extension will direct queries you type into the Safari search bar to ChatGPT Search, making ChatGPT Search your default search engine in Safari. The same policies that govern your use of ChatGPT apply.
The extension needs permission to access Google.com or the site for your default search engine, but when granted, any search you type in is redirected to ChatGPT's search feature rather than going through the default in your Safari settings.
You can now use ChatGPT search as your default search engine in Safari on iOS by updating to the latest version of ChatGPT and enabling the Safari extension! pic.twitter.com/yvyINPN9yv — Aaron (@aaronp613) February 25, 2025
There is no option to set ChatGPT as a preferred search engine, but the extension serves as a workaround.