Google Pays Apple $18 Billion To Keep iPhone Search Default

We’ve come to expect Google as the iPhone’s default search engine. While many may think that Apple decided to keep Google as the default search engine in Safari on iPhones, iPads, and Macs out of goodwill, the reality is that Google pays Apple a substantial amount to be the most popular search engine. For iPhone buyers.

We’re talking billions of dollars—specifically, “about $18 billion.” These are the numbers that The New York Times revealed about what Google paid Apple in 2018. Over the years, various figures have circulated in online communities – some say Apple will get $15 billion, while others claim the amount was closer to $20 billion. Given the credibility attached to the $18 billion figure, it’s not surprising to see Google investing such a significant amount to keep up with Apple’s devices, considering the sheer number of devices they sell and the fact that it’s a completely different platform.

Notably, these figures came to light in an ongoing lawsuit between Google and the United States, where Google has been accused of anti-competitive agreements with Apple and others to keep Google Search as the default search engine.

Google has also been accused of sabotaging Apple in creating its own search engine. If Apple were to develop its own search engine, it could jeopardize Google’s multi-billion dollar contract and potentially lead to the loss of a significant Safari user base. Apple has reportedly considered buying Bing, but this, together with building its own search engine, worries Apple that it will not be able to compete with Google in the search field.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella has also drawn attention to this fact when he mentioned that Google could use its popular Workspace apps like YouTube, Gmail and Maps to steer people away from Safari and encourage them to use Google Chrome instead.