Search deal: US Department of Justice could spoil Google's deal with Apple
Google has dominated the iPhone search market so far due to a billion-euro contract with Apple. However, this may now be on the brink - due to a major lawsuit.
Google icon on an iPhone.
(Image: Tada Images / Shutterstock)
The proceedings by the US Department of Justice against Google could jeopardize the long-standing search contract with Apple, which makes Google the default search in the iPhone browser Safari. Google is therefore said to have set up an internal team to save as much of the deal as possible. The main aim is to convince as many iOS users as possible to switch to Google products on the iPhone, writes the IT news service The Information, which is published in Silicon Valley.
Free search choice already exists in Europe
In Europe, Apple has already had to implement a query as part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as to which web browser and which search engine users want to use in future. There is now a similar threat in the United States, which remains Google's most important market. It is already known that Google pays Apple around 36 percent of its advertising revenue on the iPhone, which could equate to a good 20 billion US dollars a year. Of course, this is only payable when users surf via Safari. A version of Chrome has been available for the iPhone for a long time, seit iOS 14 it is also possible to make this the default browser. However, apparently not enough users are doing this yet.
According to The Information, Google is therefore now trying to save what can be saved - the Alphabet subsidiary is currently said to have captured around 70 percent of all iPhone search traffic via Safari, which represents a significant share of sales. The company's own apps are said to account for a good 30 percent. In its own apps, Google is now trying to persuade users to make them default programs - this applies to Chrome as well as Gmail. In recent years, there have also been advertising campaigns in the USA, even on traditional television.
Google wants traffic in its own apps
According to The Information, Google has now also hired its own audience development manager, who previously worked at Yahoo and Instagram. He is to ensure that Google apps are used more on the iPhone. Among other things, AI is to be used for this purpose, as the full Gemini AI experience is only offered in Chrome.
Internally, there is reportedly a target that Google's search traffic on the iPhone outside of Safari will at least double. It remains to be seen how long it will take for the US Department of Justice's monopoly lawsuit against Google to go through. However, there is also the threat of trouble from another direction: the US government is also taking direct action against Apple.
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