Apple Builds In-House Search Engine as Antitrust Pressure Mounts
Apple shows signs of developing its own search engine, displaying direct web results in iOS 14 and increasing its web crawling activity.
Apple develops a potential search competitor to Google as antitrust scrutiny intensifies in Washington. The tech giant shows its own search results and links directly to websites when users type queries from the iOS 14 home screen. Increased activity from Apple's web crawler tools further indicates a significant step-change in the company's in-house search development.
This move carries deep irony because antitrust actions aimed at stopping anti-competitive practices ultimately spark greater competition among the industry's largest incumbents rather than helping smaller upstarts. The current search landscape relies heavily on Google, with Microsoft's Bing powering the only other major alternatives. Apple currently pays Google to remain the default search engine on iOS devices, a lucrative deal that sits at the center of the ongoing Justice Department antitrust lawsuit.
Apple possesses the necessary expertise to launch a broader search product thanks to its hiring of Google's former head of search, John Giannandrea, nearly three years ago. While Apple's internal structure likely prevents Giannandrea from fully managing both this potential search product and Siri simultaneously, he easily lends his extensive experience to a dedicated search team. This new search capability represents a third major path for Apple to capture search queries directly on its devices.