zlacker

This is a changeable setting (though obviously it sucks that you have to make a choice to use your default browser).

Hamburger > Settings > Default Apps (in "General" at the bottom)

>>darren+(OP)
It's such an obvious dark pattern; I'm really surprised Apple accepts this from Google, but I expect there's some mutually assured destruction horse-trading that goes on behind the scenes with players this large.

>>mikepu+I
Since it's still safari under the hood running on their OS they probably get the data they want anyway. Apple uses the same and worse dark patterns themselves, they used to filter out non Apple devices from bluetooth discovery.

>>darren+(OP)
Even with this setting enabled (for Safari), it still asks me every week or two where I want to open the link and tries to get me to download Chrome. I doubt they do this if you have Chrome enabled.

>>darren+(OP)
Every time I have changed to open in Safari by default, Gmail magically forgets this a week or two later.