In the world of search engines, Google is pretty dominant and to some extent rightfully so because it is very good at what it does. Whether you type a simple query or a query that you write in a conversational tone, it usually returns the result you are looking for. It is even good at correcting typos.
Still, too much dominance can be a problem. Earlier this week, a U.S. federal judge declared Google a “monopolist,” and the company has continued to behave in the same way to maintain its status.
One way this remains the case is the simple fact that Google is the default search engine on countless devices, including Android phones or Chromebooks and the iPhone. For the latter, Google pays Apple a hefty sum, and even with this ruling, it seems the Cupertino-based tech giant sees no other option.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, say“I don’t believe there’s a price in the world that Microsoft could offer us. They offered to give us Bing for free. They could give us the whole company.”
Apple users don’t fear
It’s a strong statement, and one that essentially confirms that there’s not much reason to worry about Google’s departure. After all, there’s no strong alternative with enough intelligence or potential functionality.
Interestingly, any iPhone, iPad or Mac owner can change the default search engine in Safari. You can even get an alternative browser like Google Chrome, Arc, Firefox or countless others depending on the operating system.
And now you don’t have to Google how to do that. You can open Settings on iOS or iPadOS, navigate to Safari, select “Search Engine,” and then select from the list of five options: Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia.
So you do have the power to change, but going back to 2023, Eddy Cue stated while testifying, “there was no valid alternative” for customers, and Apple is giving people an easy way to change it if they want.
Given the latest statement, it seems like Cue’s opinion hasn’t changed and there’s not much chance of the default search engine changing anytime soon. But if you’d rather ask Bing or think about DuckDuckGo, you could always switch from Google… chances are you’ll switch back.