2024-07-05 16:38:01
One new report of the The Information echoed by the 9to5Mac indicates that the Google considered preventing users from Safari use the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) resources. The measure, according to the website, would be to avoid regulatory complications due to its agreement with Apple, which was the target of questions in the antitrust case faced by the search company in the United States.
The restriction would allow Google to increase the share of searches from iPhone users outside of Safari. It’s a strategy that didn’t start today. For a few years, the company has been trying to persuade Apple smartphone owners to switch to its namesake app or Google Chrome — there was some progress, but the progress stalled in the second half of last year.
Currently, the percentage of searches on Google’s proprietary apps on iPhones is at 30%, a number that is considered small considering the company’s goal of reaching 50% by 2030. To achieve this goal, however, the company faces the great challenge of fighting against an app that already comes pre-installed on iPhones, such as Safari.
Because of this, Google would have considered fighting with the weapons it has, such as the possibility of limiting the resource AI Overviews (AI Overview) to its own apps — which would have given them an edge over Safari’s search. But ultimately, the Alphabet subsidiary decided not to pursue that strategy, according to people familiar with the matter.
Increasing the percentage of searches on iPhones would not only help Google avoid regulatory scrutiny, but also reduce the percentage the company pays Apple annually under the Safari deal. In 2022 alone, the company paid Apple $20 billion, Eddy Cue recently confirmed.
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