Apple's AI head reveals iOS 17's new private-browsing search option
Apple's artificial intelligence and machine learning head, John Giannandrea, has revealed a lesser-known feature of iOS 17 during his recent testimony in a federal court as part of the US Justice Department's antitrust suit against Alphabet Inc.'s Google. It allows users to change Safari's default search engine when browsing the internet in private mode—a feature not available before. This comes amid concerns of limited competition in the search engine market due to Google's dominance as the iPhone's default search engine.
Google's lucrative deal with Apple under scrutiny
The complexity of changing search engines while browsing was strongly objected to in the suit, which claims Google illegally maintained its dominance over online search through agreements with web browser businesses and OEMs like Apple. Google reportedly pays Apple between $4 billion and $7 billion annually to be the iPhone's default search engine. The Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc. alleges that Google maintains a monopoly over the search engine market, partly due to its deal with Apple.
DuckDuckGo CEO criticizes complex search switch
Last week, in its opening statement, Google stated that switching search engines is simple and only takes a "matter of seconds." However, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg, on Thursday, raised concerns that changing the default search engine on an iPhone is too complex and requires too many steps. Weinberg alleged that the partnership between Apple and Google limits competition in the market. The current process to change the default search engine is cumbersome and discourages users from exploring alternatives, Weinberg claimed.
Dual search engines in iOS 17 boost competition
The new feature in iOS 17 would allow users to choose two different search engines, one for normal browsing and the other for private browsing. This provides users with more control over their browsing experience and could potentially encourage competition among search engine providers. However, it remains to be seen if this change will have a significant impact on Google's dominance in the search engine market.
How to change your search engine for private browsing?
To change the default search engine while private browsing on an iPhone, users must navigate to Settings > Safari > Search Engine > Private Search Engine. Apple offers Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia as options for users to choose from.
