In 2021, Google paid Apple about $18 billion to ensure its search engine remained the default choice on iPhones. At the same time, Google has been quietly devising a plan to counter Apple's search ambitions.
Google has been exploring ways to beat Spotlight, Apple’s iPhone search engine, by creating its own version for the iPhone, and encouraging more users to use Google’s Chrome browser instead of Safari, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times . At the same time, Google has been researching and exploiting new European laws to challenge Apple’s control of the iPhone.
The search giant is expected to enter its defense in the antitrust trial soon. Google has previously argued that its search engine’s popularity is due to quality and innovation, not default agreements. But documents reveal that the company recognized the influence of defaults in guiding users to a product and sought to change the way Apple chose Safari as the default web browser for iPhones.
Besides paying, Google has many strategies to help maintain its dominance in the search market.
In early 2022, Google looked for ways to reduce its reliance on the Safari browser and used new European laws to challenge Apple's software ecosystem. The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to give smaller companies a chance to compete with big tech companies, forcing the likes of Apple to open up their platforms to competitors.
Google saw an opportunity to gain search market share by lobbying European regulators for access to Apple’s operating system. The company estimated that if users had to choose a browser, the number of iPhone users in Europe who chose Chrome could triple, allowing Google to retain more search advertising revenue.
The quest to protect Google’s dominance in the search business has highlighted the fierce competition between tech giants and the complexities of industry partnerships. The outcome of the antitrust trial could have important implications for the future of search engine competition and the relationship between big tech companies.
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