Google's dominance in the search market has drawn scrutiny from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The high-profile case has put the competitive yet co-dependent relationship between the two tech giants under the spotlight. According to reports from 9To5Google and The Information, Google is eager to reduce its reliance on Apple's Safari browser and actively encourages iPhone users to switch from Safari to Google Chrome.
Google it where?
Over the past five years, Google has increased the proportion of iPhone users who use Chrome for searches from 25% to over 30%, but growth has recently stalled. Google aims to increase this figure to 50% by 2030.
Investigations have revealed that Google pays Apple up to US$20 billion annually to make Google Search the default search engine on Safari. The DOJ is concerned that this may violate fair market competition and has called Apple executive Eddy Cue to testify.
Pricey trade-off
While the large number of iPhone users in the US, estimated to be over 150 million, makes it worthwhile for Google to pay Apple to maintain access to these customers, it is not without a hefty trade-off. As their arrangement dictates every time iPhone users search through Safari, Google must split the advertising revenue with Apple.
Hence why Google is highly motivated to persuade iPhone users to switch to Chrome as their go-to device browser.
The uphill battle to unseat Safari
However such effort is harder said than done, considering Safari is the default browser on iPhones. To address this, Google has hired industry veteran Robby Stein, formerly of Instagram and Yahoo, to spearhead efforts to attract more iPhone users to Google services.
Previously Google executives floated around the idea of making the AI Overviews feature exclusive to Chrome. AI Overviews, introduced at Google I/O 2024, uses genAI to present search results in a more concise and understandable format.
Although Google ultimately decided against this exclusivity, it underscores how far the search engine giant is willing to go to win over Apple device users. As Google Search faces antitrust investigations, Google's fight to unseat Safari, the default browser deeply entrenched in Apple's ecosystem, is shaking up to be an uphill battle with no end in sight.
As it not only involves overcoming user habits and preferences but also navigating the complex landscape of market competition and regulatory scrutiny.
