One of the limitations of using Apple devices in Korea is that Naver is not one
of the default search engines available to Safari. This is one reason that many
people prefer to just use the official Naver app when doing a web search, even
if Safari would be a lighter or potentially faster alternative.
While there is no "official" way to make searches typed in the Safari search
bar direct to Naver, here's a way that I've been using. So if you or your mom,
dad, or grandpa want all their search results coming from Naver, whether on
iPhone or Mac, give this a try. It's not exactly setting Naver as the
default search (I took some liberties with the post title) but its
net effect is just as good.
|
| Redirect Google searches to Naver |
Userscript redirect: Google to Naver
Basically, I'm just using a userscript to redirect the search. This method
will basically just do a Google search like normal, but then immediately
redirect the page to the same search results on Naver. It sounds cumbersome,
but after it's run the first time, I notice it happens pretty speedily so that
I don't really even notice it.
To do this you'll need two things: a userscript app, and the code I provide
below.
Userscript app for iOS and macOS
I'm using the amazing and completely free and open source
Userscripts. This is an extension that works on iPhone and Mac. You can run any number
of userscripts (small bits of code) with it, but it could equally be used for
this one single trick.
Google to Naver redirect code
Once you have that installed, create a new userscript with it and paste in
this code:
// ==UserScript==
// @name Google to Naver Search Redirect
// @namespace http://10wontips.blogspot.com
// @version 0.1
// @run-at document-start
// @description Redirects Google search pages to Naver search with
the same search term
// @author Sam Nordberg
// @match https://www.google.com/search*
// @grant none
// @icon https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?sz=64&domain=naver.com
// ==/UserScript==
(function() {
'use strict';
// Check if the current URL is a Google search page
if (window.location.href.includes('google.com/search')) {
// Extract the search term from the Google URL
const searchTerm = new
URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get('q');
// Construct the Naver search URL
const naverSearchUrl =
`https://search.naver.com/search.naver?ie=utf8&query=${encodeURIComponent(searchTerm)}`;
// Redirect to the Naver search page
window.location.href = naverSearchUrl;
}
})();
This is most easily done if you have the app installed on both your Mac and
your iPhone, since the scripts can sync.
If you're on iPhone only, then paste the above code into a plain text
document, save the document with a name like "naver-redirect.user.js" (make
sure the file ending is .user.js - you may have to manually rename the
file in Finder) and save that file to your iPhone files. Point the Userscript
app to use that file.
Usage notes
-
This script will only run on the Google search results pages, so shouldn't
interfere with any other browsing.
-
Of course this means you won't really be able to search Google anymore
without it automatically redirecting to Naver. If that's an issue for you,
you could also set Safari's default to a different search engine and have
that redirect instead, leaving you free to still use
Google.
-
You can also edit the code to redirect to Daum or any other search
engine.
-
This method is nice because it means you can initiate the search from
Spotlight.
- Note that this sort of redirect is also available inside the popular StopTheMadness app.
Other methods
Bookmarklet
There are some other ways of getting a sort-of Naver search within Safari. One
is starting the search using a Bookmarklet but that has the limitation of
requiring you to remember to hit that Bookmarklet every time. See more on that
here:
Text replacement
Another way I found was to use the iOS built-in text replacement function.
This involves setting a shortcode that iOS will automatically expand into the
full Naver search URL, then typing your search.
For example, set a text shortcut to "!네" or "!N" and have it automatically
expand to:
https://m.search.naver.com/search.naver?query=
Then, you can just type "!네 잘실역" and get the Naver search results for
Jamsil Station.
Overall, I find the userscript method best, at least until Apple provides a
way to add custom search engines. Of course
outside of Safari, this is just a simple settings change. But if you prefer Naver and like using Safari, give the userscript method a
try for now.
HT to
Daring Fireball
from which I thought of this idea.
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