Google and Apple’s relationship may not be the friendliest, but these companies are linked on many points. One of the most important, for both, is Google’s presence as the search engine in Safari. The amounts paid are not public, but now the one associated with 2022 has emerged. In that year, Google will pay Apple 26.3 billion to be the search engine in Safari.
Google paid Apple 20 billion
New documents filed in the antitrust case against Google in the US reveal new data on the relationship with Apple. The latest show a decline in payments to keep the Mountain View giant as the search engine in Safari. In 2022, Google paid Apple 20 billion for this right, well down from 26.3 billion in 2021.
This information is important because the US Department of Justice (DOJ) argues that Google maintains its search monopoly through agreements with tech giants like Apple. By having a dominant position, it is able to control searches and generate even greater dominance, which competitors are unable to counter.
The documents also show the financial importance of this agreement for Apple. Its weight is so great that Google’s payments represent an impressive 17.5% of Apple’s operating revenue. This ended up conditioning the creator of the iPhone to switch to another search engine, as Microsoft wanted to do.
Just to be Safari’s search engine
Previously, both companies tried to keep the exact figures of the agreements made between them confidential. During the trial, Apple’s representatives vaguely mentioned “one billion” without going into detail. A Google witness unwittingly revealed that the search giant shared 36% of its associated advertising revenue with Apple, revealing the amount involved.
The documents presented to the court also reveal that Microsoft, Google’s search rival, tried to force Apple to switch. Microsoft offered a 90% share of search advertising revenue, with concessions such as hiding the Bing brand itself.
With final arguments in the antitrust case scheduled for this week, the future of these agreements remains uncertain. The court’s decision will likely determine whether these Google practices violate the law and how search engine dominance is addressed in the tech landscape.