In a pivotal move, Apple has stepped into the fray of Google’s high-stakes U.S. antitrust trial over online search dominance. The tech giant seeks to protect its lucrative revenue-sharing agreements with Google, arrangements that brought Apple an estimated $20 billion in 2022 by making Google the default search engine on Safari.
Despite these payments, Apple confirmed it has no plans to develop its own search engine, regardless of the trial’s outcome. The company asserts that Google, now facing a potential breakup of its business units, can no longer sufficiently safeguard Apple’s interests in court.
Apple intends to call witnesses at the trial, slated for April, as the Department of Justice aims to demonstrate that breaking up Google’s operations—such as its Chrome browser and Android platform—is necessary to restore competition in the search market.
Meanwhile, Google has offered to adjust its agreements with browser developers and device manufacturers but remains firm on continuing its ad-revenue sharing practices. The outcome of this trial could reshape the digital landscape, potentially transforming how users interact with search engines globally.
Google has yet to comment on Apple’s latest legal maneuver.
