If you’re one of the 1.4 billion iPhone users currently using Google Chrome as your default browser, a new warning from Apple may concern you. The tech giant has released a new advertising campaign this week telling iPhone users to stop using Chrome and go back to using Safari. But why suddenly?
The competition between Apple and Google
The relationship between Apple and Google has always been complicated. Now, while Google relies on Safari for almost all search requests from these iPhones, it is at this point that Apple would start putting its foot down on the attempts of Google to make Safari users switch to Chrome. This is happening at the same time that Google is coming under increasing scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe from monopoly investigations.
The importance of Safari users to Apple
Chrome has an installation base of 30 percent across iPhone users, but the goal for Google is to raise that to 50 percent, bringing an additional 300 million iPhone users into its data ecosystem. For Apple, that would represent a significant loss of online revenue because of the loss of those users. The battle between Safari and Chrome is about to get even more important as search evolves with the arrival of on-device AI.
ALSO READ
The privacy concerns surrounding Chrome
The other major reason Apple is warning people to ditch Chrome is over privacy. Indeed, Google attempted to incorporate some security safeguards, but tracking cookies persist, and recent reports have revealed settings that are buried deeper, allowing Google to collect device information of Chrome users. This questions the security and privacy of the information given by an individual.
The user preference for Google Search
Even though Apple is taking a hard stance over Chrome, it is also essential to note that most iPhone users actually prefer Google Search over any other alternative. Even if Google is no longer the default search on Safari, users can also set it manually. That poses a challenge for Apple in terms of keeping its users within the Apple umbrella while at the same time satisfying their search preferences.
The clash between these two technology firms will probably become more intense as Apple continues fighting back against Google’s stronghold on the search market. In the end, it will come down to user preference and the ability of Apple to provide a great alternative to what Google has in store. It is very much real, right now, for the discussion of the search preferences on iPhone.