Google’s latest attempt to remake search around artificial intelligence has produced an unexpected winner. In the weeks since the company’s I/O 2026 keynote, DuckDuckGo has recorded its strongest growth in years. Installs climbed. Traffic hit records. And much of the momentum has come from iPhone users who simply want the old web back. The numbers tell a clear story. U.S. app installs rose an average of 18.1 percent week-over-week in the period from May 20 to May 25 compared with the prior week, according to data DuckDuckGo shared with TechCrunch . Growth held steady for six straight days. It peaked at 30.5 percent on May 25. On iOS the figures ran hotter. Average weekly growth reached 33 percent, with a single-day spike of 69.9 percent. Those early gains did not fade. A follow-up report on June 2 showed U.S. installs for the most recent week sat 61 percent above pre-announcement levels. The peak day, June 1, came in 76 percent higher. iOS led again.…