Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo announces partnership with Apple for Maps searches

Few search engines are as privacy-focused as DuckDuckGo. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo doesn't track or analyze your searches, and it still manages to stay very functional - indeed,

after using DuckDuckGo exclusively for the past several months, I can say it's just as good as Google in most respects.

However, it is missing a few of Google's best features, such as a Maps search option. Fortunately, that's changing soon.

According to a blog post published by DuckDuckGo, the search engine's developers are partnering up with Apple to make Maps searches a reality. Given Apple's focus on the privacy of its customers, it's not hard to see why DuckDuckGo chose them over the competition.

DuckDuckGo's reasons for choosing Apple Maps aside, let's talk functionality. Much like Google Maps, DuckDuckGo's Apple Maps integration will work in one of two ways. First, you can type a normal search result -- such as "Pizza in Cupertino," to use DuckDuckGo's example -- and map results will show up to the right of normal search results.

Alternatively, you can use the new, dedicated "Maps" search button to bring up a full-sized interactive map. You can zoom in and out, pan around, and search for just about anything you can think of. If you repeat the Pizza in Cupertino search query, you'll now see a list of pizza restaurants on the main map as well as the sidebar.

Clicking on one of the results will bring up reviews for the location (seemingly powered by Yelp), as well as address, hours, and contact information.