The relationship between Apple and Google has always been dynamic, but this time Apple is taking a bold step by encouraging its 1.4 million users to stop using Chrome on their iPhones. But why now?
Google is aggressively trying to convert Safari users into Chrome users. Currently, Google relies on Safari for most search requests from iPhones, the result of a financial agreement between Google and Apple. However, this agreement is threatened by monopoly investigations in the United States and Europe. As an anticipation, Google started Plan B.
According to a report from Forbes, Chrome only has a 30% market share among iPhone users. Google’s target is to increase it to 50%, which means an additional 300 million users. Apple clearly doesn’t want this to happen. These 300 million users are a huge source of revenue, especially with the increasing use of AI in search.
Apple’s privacy campaign is intensifying. You may have seen Safari privacy billboards in your city. Starting in San Francisco, this campaign is now worldwide. Although the ads don’t explicitly mention Chrome, the message is clear. Safari and Chrome control more than 90% of the market share on mobile devices, and on the iPhone, the competition between the two is very tight.
Privacy is Chrome’s weakness. Tracking cookies still exist, and plans to remove them continue to be delayed. Chrome’s private mode is also less private than users expect. Recently, it was revealed that Google is taking device data from Chrome users through hidden settings that cannot be disabled.
Apple is raising the stakes by releasing a new video ad that adopts the theme of Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” This ad conveys a strong message: if you don’t want to be tracked online, use Safari. This message is simple, but effective: don’t use Google Chrome.
The reality is that Apple users prefer Google Search. Apple itself acknowledges that Google Search is better than the other alternatives. This reminds us of the failure of Apple Maps a few years ago. Even if Google is no longer the default search in Safari, users can still set it manually.
The question that arises is whether Google will offer exclusive AI search features in Chrome. Such steps have been considered although not fully implemented. In this case, Apple may have another anti-Chrome strategy that will soon emerge.
In addition to the video and social media ads inspired by “The Birds,” Apple released the “Private Browsing 2.0” update to enhance Safari users’ privacy and security. This update introduces the latest innovations in web privacy, setting a new standard for private browsing.
The war between Chrome and Safari is heating up. Google is pushing the Topics API to replace tracking cookies, but Apple shows that this method can still be used to track users. Apple is trying to thwart Google’s efforts even before the Privacy Sandbox is fully released.
Repiw’s Conclusion: In the digital world, privacy is the new currency. Apple and Google are at war to win users’ trust. Apple emphasizes privacy as a key selling point, while Google is trying to keep up with technological innovation. The choice is yours: security and privacy or convenience and advanced features?
