Apple steps in to back up Google in their fight with the DOJ

Well, I didn’t have this on my bingo card for the end of 2024! With all the recent news about Google being on the ropes after being found guilty of holding an illegal search monopoly, Apple has come out swinging in defense of Google. It seems Apple isn’t particularly keen on the DOJ’s proposed breakup of Google’s search business, especially the part about nixing those lucrative search distribution deals.

You see, Apple makes billions by setting Google as the default search engine in Safari. According to their recent filing, messing with this arrangement would “hamstring” their ability to deliver top-notch products to users. And if we’re just being honest, most people on iPhones and Macs likely do prefer Google Search.

Apple argues that ditching Google would either force them to build their own search engine (which Apple say they aren’t at all interested in) or leave users with a subpar experience. With Apple now stepping in to help on this matter, the entire case just became far more interesting. With Google and Apple working together to keep most of what Google has in place, there’s a chance that most of this mess could end up having little to no effect on Google’s business in the long run.

Google has countered the DOJ with its own less-drastic solutions, like giving device makers more freedom to choose default search engines. Versus selling off Chrome (which still makes little sense to me), Google’s proposals seem far more realistic, and even those may not end up needing to be enforced now that Apple is getting involved.

The next hearing is set for April 2025, so little will really be decided until that point. For the next few months, anyway, it looks like Google and Apple will be allies trying to get this situation under control. I can at least say this; I’m feeling better and better by the day that at least the Chrome browser (and ChromeOS/Chromebooks by extension) won’t be leaving Google’s purview anytime soon.

VIA: Android Central