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What does Google’s default-search deal with Apple cover?
A default search engine is the service a browser or supported search interface uses automatically when someone enters a query. On an iPhone, the arrangement chiefly concerns Safari and other Apple search access points. It is a distribution deal, not a rule that every iPhone search must go to Google.
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- Default search engine: The preset provider for searches made through a particular browser or interface.
- Search app: An app such as Google’s that a user opens directly; its behavior need not match Safari’s setting.
- Browser default: A setting inside Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or another browser. Changing one browser does not automatically change another.
- Search access point: A broader term used in the legal case for places where users can initiate searches.
People can visit another search site, use another browser, open a dedicated search app, or change Safari’s provider. Siri, Spotlight, and individual apps may handle searches differently, so changing Safari’s setting does not necessarily change every search on the phone.
How much did Google pay Apple?
The clearest public figure is approximately $20 billion for 2022, reported from unsealed court materials in the antitrust case. BGR’s account of the disclosure describes the payment; the DOJ case materials provide the litigation context. The figure should not be presented as a confirmed rate for every year or as the amount currently paid.
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Separate testimony disclosed that Apple received 36% of relevant Google search-advertising revenue generated through Safari. That percentage is not interchangeable with the $20 billion figure, nor does it establish a 36% share of all Google revenue. The Indian Express’ report attributes the number to testimony.
Earlier public estimates put Google’s annual payments to Apple in the high single-digit or low double-digit billions. Those estimates and the specific 2022 disclosure are not proof of the deal’s current value. Public materials identified here do not confirm the amount, if any, paid in 2026; the DOJ’s case page lists later compliance activity but does not supply a public current payment figure.
Why would Google pay billions for a default?
The payment buys a valuable opportunity to receive searches without persuading each user to change a setting or open a different app. Defaults tend to be sticky: many people keep the preselected option, even when alternatives are available. Each search can create an opportunity to show advertising, while a large volume of searches supports Google’s data, product development, and advertising systems.
- Reach: Apple devices give Google access to a large audience across a tightly integrated hardware, operating-system, and browser environment.
- Commercial value: Search queries can generate advertising revenue, making the cost a form of traffic acquisition.
- Defensive value: Securing the default makes it harder for rivals to gain equivalent exposure at a major search gateway.
- Scale effects: More users and queries can support investment in search quality and advertising, potentially reinforcing Google’s position.
The DOJ argued that default agreements helped create a self-reinforcing cycle: Google’s scale and profits let it pay for distribution, which in turn helped preserve that scale. The government’s original case description sets out that theory. The payment does not mean Google would lose every iPhone user if the arrangement changed; users could still seek Google directly or choose it themselves.
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Why does Apple accept the arrangement?
For Apple, the deal is a source of revenue and lets the company offer a familiar, capable web-search option without building and operating a full general-purpose search index itself. Apple services chief Eddy Cue said Apple chose Google because of search quality, according to coverage of the case.
The DOJ offered a competing explanation: payments reduce Apple’s incentive to build a rival search engine and make it harder for competitors to obtain distribution. Its proposed remedy materials addressed payments and default arrangements involving Apple. These positions can both be relevant: Google can be a strong product, while a lucrative default agreement can still make it harder for rivals to compete.
What did the Google antitrust case decide?
Liability ruling: August 5, 2024
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found Google had unlawfully maintained a monopoly in general search. That liability finding concerned Google’s conduct in the broader search market; it was not, by itself, a final order ending every Apple payment. Contemporary coverage of the ruling summarizes the decision.
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Remedies and final judgment: 2025
The government sought stronger limits, including restrictions on paying for default placement. The DOJ announced remedies on September 2, 2025, and the court’s final judgment is dated December 5, 2025. The final judgment changes how covered distribution agreements can be structured: it restricts exclusivity and certain forms of tying, limits relevant default arrangements to one-year terms, and allows Apple to promote rival general-search and generative-AI products.
The judgment does not amount to a blanket statement that Google can never make any payment to Apple. It restricts specified agreements and conditions, including arrangements that would tie payments to Google’s default status across Apple features or devices. The DOJ’s remedy announcement summarizes the government’s account of the outcome.
Does Google still pay Apple in 2026?
The public record cited here confirms approximately $20 billion for 2022, not a current 2026 amount. The 2025 judgment puts meaningful limits on future agreements and gives Apple room to promote competing products, but those restrictions do not establish that every Google–Apple payment stopped. The exact operational status and value of any 2026 arrangement are not publicly confirmed in the cited case materials.
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How to change the search engine on an iPhone
Apple’s menu labels can vary by iOS version and region. In Safari settings, look for the search-engine control; depending on the release, the route may appear as Settings > Search or Settings > Apps > Safari.
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- Open Settings.
- Open Search, or go to Apps > Safari if that is where Safari settings appear on your iOS version.
- Tap Search Engine.
- Select an available provider. Options can vary by region and device.
- Return to Safari and run a search to check that the selected provider is being used.
This changes Safari’s default, not necessarily the provider used by other browsers, Siri, Spotlight, or searches inside apps. A work- or school-managed iPhone may also limit available settings. Changing providers alone does not make every search private; privacy depends on the provider, browser, account settings, and how the search is made.
What could change for iPhone users and the search market?
If Google were no longer the default, Apple could present a choice screen, select another provider, or give rivals more exposure. Some users might keep choosing Google directly; others might try alternatives such as Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, Ecosia, or AI-oriented search products. A change in placement could affect Google’s traffic-acquisition costs and Apple’s services revenue, but the outcome would depend on user choices and the quality, infrastructure, advertising, privacy practices, and distribution of competing services.
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The larger competition question is whether rivals can get meaningful access to users, not merely whether alternatives exist in a menu. Google’s scale can support search infrastructure and advertising, while default placement can steer queries toward that scale. The DOJ has said Google handles approximately 90% of U.S. search queries and argued that exclusionary agreements helped maintain its position; that figure and interpretation are the government’s characterization, as stated in its remedies announcement.
The practical distinction is straightforward: Google’s default position is influential, but it is not exclusive control of every iPhone search. The legal judgment changes the rules for certain future agreements, while the public record cited here does not establish the precise status or amount of any 2026 Apple payment.
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