Google’s iPhone app continues to draw in new users. Reducing the possible impact in the event that Google search engines are no longer the default in Safari is the aim of this effort.
Apple has been receiving billion-dollar payments from Google to maintain Search as the primary search engine on Safari. However, because of this behavior, Google is currently being sued for antitrust violations. A recent rumor claims that the tech giant is pushing more iPhone users to utilize the Google or Chrome app for search in an effort to get ready for the potential of losing the default status.
As of right now, Google and Apple have a profit-sharing agreement that keeps Google Search as the mobile Safari version’s default search engine. In the upcoming months, the judges hearing the US Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust action are anticipated to provide a verdict.
Google is reportedly pushing iPhone users to use their app for search in an effort to shield itself from potential fallout if it loses this lawsuit, according to a report from The Information. Over the previous five years, Google has managed to boost the percentage of queries conducted through its app from 25% to 30%. But by 2030, Google wants 50% of iPhone searches to be conducted through its app, and the corporation is having trouble growing its user base past 30%.
Google used advertisements to showcase unique capabilities in Google apps, including Lens, in an effort to entice iPhone users to switch. Executives reportedly debated restricting the AI Overviews function to their app alone, but eventually decided against it.
This Google initiative makes logical, especially considering that the business may lose over 70% of iPhone searches if it isn’t the default search engine on Safari. Less reliance on Safari will also mean less money for Google to pay Apple to take the lead as the default search engine. Apple, which made more over 20 billion US dollars (about Rp 325 trillion) from its partnership with Google last year, will also suffer from this case’s defeat.
