On Safari iOS w/ extension enabled, can't use other search engines directly. Could implement similar to xSearch?

brotis

Steps to reproduce:
Enable ios kagi extension
Navigate to https://google.com
Type a search query into the in-page search box.
Browser redirect to kagi.com

Expected behavior:
Search results displayed by google

This is similar to this previous closed as fixed item, however it seems to be currently occurring (not fixed):
https://kagifeedback.org/d/228-when-ios-safari-extension-is-enabled-other-search-engines-cant-be-used-from-their-web-pages

I have found an extension that IMO does a better job of replacing the safari search called xSearch:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xsearch-for-safari/id1579902068

Within xSearch settings, if you turn on "override safari search engine" and set the mode to "blacklist" it will essentially let you choose a single built-in ios search engine to hijack and all queries directed to it will go to the custom engine (ie. all searches through Bing now redirect to Kagi). It does this without any additional permissions. It asks you to select a search engine that you never use, but frees up the rest of the search engines to be used normally.

You may ask why I don't just use xSearch, and the answer is that it doesn't allow the kagi token to be passed in the search url from only a private window. I didn't really want the kagi session token to be stored in the URL in my browser history in non-private mode.

Gerry

Same problem.

Kagi hijacks other search engine results. For instance, go to Google, type search query and click search. Kagi page loads with the query results.

Behaviour seen on
Safari 16.6 on MacOS 12.5.1 and Safari on iOS 16.6.1

Vlad

Safari makes it extremely hard. This is one of the reasons we built an entire browser for macOS/iOS called Orion.

Please consider using it:

https://browser.kagi.com

The Kagi extension for Safari is open source and we welcome community MRs. https://github.com/kagisearch/Kagi-Search-for-Safari-iOS

We are trying to stay focusd in the business of search as that is hard on its own, finding hacks that work for Safari is extremely time consuming for our small team.

brotis

Vlad

While I can totally understand and respect "trying to stay focusd in the business of search... finding hacks that work for Safari is extremely time consuming for our small team", I do feel quite curious and compelled to ask how the team had time to instead "built an entire browser for macOS/iOS"?

I don't ask that to be argumentative, and I don't really think that it should be abandoned to work on this issue instead, but using Kagi services with the expectation that the privacy claims are met requires a heavy dose of trust. Building and maintaining a web browser (or WebView wrapper, if you will) that's funded entirely by user donations seems a bit suspicious by itself. 🙂

Vlad

brotis Fair question. For Orion we are in control and are not at mercy of Apple. Trying to make Kagi work in Safari is a whole another issue.

There are no official APIs to replace the search engine, so we need to resort to hacks. This is not something we enjoy.
The only hack that is possible (redirecting searches from default search engine) is not really privacy respecting and it hurts every time when customers bring this to our attention although there is no other way to do it
Every submission to app store is an anxious event as we may get denied (happend a few times) and then it is lengthy process

So in other words, developing this for Safari is time consuming and stressful because of lack of control to the point that we decided it is easier to just build our own browser.

Gerry

Vlad

Hi Vlad

Thanks for the update. While I can appreciate that Safari may present additional difficulties, I think it’s fair to say this response feels a little dismissive.

Right now, Kagi’s extension actively prevents Safari users from using other search engines. That feels like a bug that should be addressed and seems like a pretty poor position from a marketing perspective — Imagine if Google hijacked the search every time a user tried to use Bing. Or tried to use Kagi.

You guys are building a business in a massively challenging space and are offering a paid service to people used to a free one. Those willing to make the jump see something in your service but please don’t dismiss things in this way.

You mention, “The only hack that is possible (redirecting searches from default search engine) is not really privacy respecting and it hurts every time when customers bring this to our attention although there is no other way to do it” but I don’t understand how this is the case. If I go directly to google.com and type into the search field on that site, why is Kagi even looking at that? It feels more like a privacy issue that Kagi intercepts what I’m typing on another site.

Gerry

Vlad
Hi Vlad

I typed all of that previous reply before I spotted the ‘Planned’ tag. If that tag means someone will work to address this issue in the future, please disregard my whinging. If that’s not what the tag means, please see my whinging above. 🙂

Thank you

David

Marking as Done since the Kagi Extension for Safari now allows selecting a single search engine to redirect to Kagi.