Google Paid Apple $1 Billion in 2014 to be Default iOS Search Engine

[BvizioN]

They paid for that? Suckers. If it hadn't been the default I would have changed the settings to make it so anyway, just like I change Bing on my PCs.

Yes, but you fall on a very tiny minority (and believe me, Google is not stupid to just waste money) I think most people don't fiddle with things like that, they just prefer to use the phone as it comes out of the box.

That's just pocket change!

I don't think a billion $ is quite pocket change, even for companies like Apple or Google.

I feel sorry for people that have to use Maps, it is almost always wrong and hate how it is the default app that brings up my addresses unless I am using Google Chrome.

You feel sorry for people who out of 2 options chose the option that is not good for you but good enough for them?

 

[Max(IT)]

Only reason it's "free" cause they are making money of us. Search Engines are not the convience of us end users, they are there to make revenue ...

Not sure about DuckDuckGo.... I'm using that

Hahaha...the state of your avatar, mate. Your comments? Not biased at all, I'm sure.

Biased ?
I'm not hiding myself. I already stated multiple time Google is the least company I would trust on earth.
I'm better than people coming here pretending they are Apple users while the only reason they post here is to downplay Apple...

More preloaded apps is the last thing iOS needs
[doublepost=1453459823][/doublepost]

The iPhone is already bloated with all the unremovable crap-ware Apple includes.

Very few compared to a typical android phone.
Btw I'm looking forward to have the possibility to uninstall some of them (like Tim Cook said) in the next future

 

[maflynn]

Wow, a billion dollars, I knew as the article stated that google was paying apple, but I guess I never really grasped the scale of that relationship.

 

[stubbornapple]

I've been using DuckDuckGo since I first heard of it a couple years ago. I still use google services like gmail and YouTube, but I haven't used google search in years.

 

[VulchR]

As long as Apple doesn't provide Google my details so that they can combine it with information from my searches, I am OK with Apple extorting money from Google. However, imagine the position of the iPhone and iOS if one day Google decided to pull support for the platform. This can be a doubled-edged sword.

 

[Tech198]

yes, for a renew ....

I wonder if Yahoo, and Bing try and do the same thing.

As long as Google is still a search engine listed... doesn't matter if it's the default, i'll keep me a happy chap.

I gather users would much rather just rely on the defaults of everything but i'm a tinker-er, as many well know.

 

[attila]

How is this legal?

Mozilla gets most of their funding because Google pays for every search maid in the Firefox search box.

This is no news and just regular business.

 

[Jsameds]

DuckDuckGo is the worst search engine name I have heard since Dogpile.

 

[goobot]

Only reason it's "free" cause they are making money of us. Search Engines are not the convience of us end users, they are there to make revenue ...

Ok? The question was what do we get in return and we get a free search engine.

 

[179202]

This is not encouraging. Considering the stance on privacy they're taking, this actually really weakens their argument as being from hypocrites.

 

[Max(IT)]

This is not encouraging. Considering the stance on privacy they're taking, this actually really weakens their argument as being from hypocrites.

How so ? They just let YOU choose the search engine to use.
The only hypocrisy I'm seeing here are people usually defending Google now speaking about Google as a violation of their privacy.
Yes, Google is all about that.
How can people use their services?
Speaking about hypocrites....

 

[MH01]

Not sure about DuckDuckGo.... I'm using that

DuckDuck go revenue stream is

1. Advertising
2. Affiliate revenue

All search engines makes money from us. What your trying to say I believe, is that Duckduck does not track you to achieve its revenue like google.
[doublepost=1453465893][/doublepost]

Ok? The question was what do we get in return and we get a free search engine.

Search Engines get revenue based on ads and affiliate deals, we get content we can search that has those ads.

Even by posting on here, MR, you are served and ad, without consent or action, you have contributed to revenue for MR. Its a page impression, if you click on the ad, they make more money.

 

[TallManNY]

I like that Apple doesn't aggressively sell me and my information as an ancillary product. But they are renting access to me to Google so Google can sell access to me to their ad partners. I guess when it comes down to Search as long as I'm not willing to pay directly for my Searches I have to accept that I'm paying some other way.

 

[Max(IT)]

DuckDuck go revenue stream is

1. Advertising
2. Affiliate revenue

All search engines makes money from us. What your trying to say I believe, is that Duckduck does not track you to achieve its revenue like google.
[doublepost=1453465893][/doublepost]

Search Engines get revenue based on ads and affiliate deals, we get content we can search that has those ads.

Even by posting on here, MR, you are served and ad, without consent or action, you have contributed to revenue for MR. Its a page impression, if you click on the ad, they make more money.

They directly stated in their website they don't track users.
For now I'm trusting them, until proven wrong.

 

[MH01]

How so ? They just let YOU choose the search engine to use.
The only hypocrisy I'm seeing here are people usually defending Google now speaking about Google as a violation of their privacy.
Yes, Google is all about that.
How can people use their services?
Speaking about hypocrites....

ummm Max, your choices are GOOGLE, Microsoft, Yahoo and duckduckgo nor does it matter as

The default is google, 99% of iPhone users will not change, nor do they know what is the default search engine is.

The Irony is that for the average user, they are buying an iphone, cause they believe their privacy is better, yet they do not realise they are sending data to google everyday. Most users would believe that Apple has thier own search engine in safari.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Weird thought - would Apple ever consider having their own search engine? I know that it's easy to use a well established company like Google for this task. But is it within reason for Apple to ever do something like this?

It's been rumored that Apple could buy DuckDuckGo.

I have mixed feelings about it. Right now, DuckDuckGo is an amazingly transparent and open company. Anyone is allowed to submit new ideas or code, and it's normally integrated into the search engine within a few hours. I find it highly unlikely Apple would do that.

On the other hand, Apple would then swap to DuckDuckGo which would seriously damage Google's data mining operation.

They could accomplish the same thing by just making DuckDuckGo the default, though, with no acquisition. That's what I would like most. Anyone who notices/cares can swap to Google.

 

[countryside]

Eh, 1 billion is just a drop in the bucket for Apple. I would love to see DuckDuckGo default, or an Apple made engine.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Mathematically, that is less expensive per second than a Super Bowl ad. It also, unlike a SB ad, extends past a single market (U.S.) and is continually viewed by millions of people daily, and gives instant access to Google's product. So smart buy on Google's part.

 

[179202]

How so ? They just let YOU choose the search engine to use.
The only hypocrisy I'm seeing here are people usually defending Google now speaking about Google as a violation of their privacy.
Yes, Google is all about that.
How can people use their services?
Speaking about hypocrites....

Companies would have bid for that default spot because it's valuable. The majority of people don't fiddle with that default setting. Apple didn't default to DuckDuckGo. They default to Google because Google gave them money. Businesses run on money. Apple can act as if they're different all they want, but this really shows they count the money before they think about their morals. Time to assume Apple does not have our best interests at heart.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

How is this legal?

How is any "exclusive" legal? How are stadium naming rights legal? How is the "official [insert product] sponsor of XYZ [team, event]" legal? How are college buildings named after donors legal?

How? It's called a contract.

 

[diipii]

It's common knowledge that Apple and Google have a monetary agreement that ensures Google's position as the default search engine on Apple's iOS devices, but the details of that deal have been kept under wraps, until now. A recent court transcript from Oracle's copyright lawsuit against Google was obtained by Bloomberg and sheds some light on the agreement, suggesting Google pays out a lot of money to keep its search bar on Apple's iPhones and iPads.

Apple receives a percentage of the revenue that Google earns from searches made on iOS devices, and in 2014, Apple's payout from Google totaled $1 billion. That information mirrors a similar rumor from 2012 that also suggested Google was paying Apple upwards of $1 billion.

The current cut Apple receives from the advertising revenue Google collects isn't known, but according to a Google witness questioned during the Oracle-Google lawsuit, the revenue share was at 34 percent "at one point in time." According to Bloomberg, it was not made clear in the transcript if 34 percent is the amount Apple received or the amount Google got to keep.Both Google and Apple attempted to have the court records blocked from public review because the information is "extremely confidential," but a judge denied the request. Google went on to ask the court to seal the transcript because the release of the information could affect its negotiations with other companies. The company's request was presumably granted, as Bloomberg says the transcript is no longer available.

Apple and Google's search contract was reportedly set to end in 2015, sparking speculation that Apple could terminate the agreement in favor of working with Microsoft or Yahoo. Yahoo and Microsoft were both interested in inking a deal with Apple to overthrow Google as the default search engine on iOS devices, but as no shift to another search engine has been made, it appears Google and Apple may have established a renewed agreement.

In a May 2015 interview, Google's chief business officer Omid Kordestani said Google wanted to continue its partnership with Apple. "We'd love to continue our partnership with them and doing our best to work with them, and that's all I can say for now," he said.

Article Link: Google Paid Apple $1 Billion in 2014 to be Default iOS Search Engine

Obscene, but if Apple will lean on Google to filter out the 100 or so spams on my Gmail account I will let it go.

 

[Risco]

That is actually a very small amount of money in Google / Apple terms. Pretty much the equivalent of a £50 a month mobile phone contract.....

 

[maxsix]

I've been using DuckDuckGo since I first heard of it a couple years ago. I still use google services like gmail and YouTube, but I haven't used google search in years.

I too use ddg.gg

Heard about it years ago when they first launched. It's outstanding and the ideal companion search engine to Google. For research it's faster and doesn't serve up promoted results.

 

[mikecorp]

i ditched google as I was spammed with advertisements. Now Im on duck duck go.
but wish Apple would design their own search engine.

 

[Tsuchiya]

I wonder if Tim Cook would be willing to address this, given his stance on privacy and advertising revenue.