What Apple might do if Google Search becomes a liability

Apple is reportedly building the groundwork for its own search technology, a move long rumored but gaining urgency amid rising antitrust scrutiny of Google. As of now, Google pays Apple an estimated $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on Safari. But regulators in the US and EU are actively questioning this arrangement, which could upend one of Apple’s most lucrative passive revenue streams.

Behind the scenes, Apple has been hiring search engineers, enhancing its Spotlight and Siri capabilities, and integrating AI-based query understanding. Former Google Search head John Giannandrea, now at Apple, is believed to be leading internal efforts to build a more autonomous Apple search ecosystem. These aren’t just defensive plays—they’re laying the infrastructure for a future where Apple could roll out its own search engine.

If regulators break up the Google-Apple deal or significantly curtail its terms, Apple would face two choices: cede that user traffic to another search provider like Bing—or compete directly with its own product. Given Apple’s history of vertical integration, many analysts believe the company would rather control the experience than outsource it.

Regulatory pressure is creating strategic urgency. The US Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, now in court, directly targets the company’s exclusive search contracts—including its deal with Apple. A ruling that weakens or prohibits these contracts would hit

Apple is inching toward a post-Google future
Apple earns billions from Google every year in exchange for making Google the default search engine on Safari. But this lucrative arrangement is also a reputational and strategic liability. The U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Google has cast a spotlight on these deals, framing them as anti-competitive and harmful to consumer choice. For Apple, continued reliance on Google not only invites regulatory scrutiny—it also limits its autonomy in one of the most valuable digital frontiers: search.

In recent months, reports suggest that Apple has quietly been investing in its own search technology. The company has scaled up Applebot (its web crawler), made key hires in search engineering, and deployed Spotlight and Siri to handle more queries directly—sidestepping traditional web search entirely. The broader shift toward AI-powered assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity also gives Apple an opening. If consumer behavior moves away from typing keywords into a browser and toward asking context-rich questions to an assistant, the definition of “search” itself changes.

Apple doesn’t need to build a traditional search engine to compete with Google. It just needs to redefine the user experience so that search feels less like Google’s turf. By integrating search more deeply into its ecosystem—from Messages and Maps to Siri and Spotlight—Apple can gradually divert user intent toward its own AI-driven interfaces, without forcing a sudden break from Google.

Strategic stakes:

Search is not just about queries—it’s about control
Every search query reveals user intent, and every click builds a profile. For Apple, ceding that data to Google undermines its privacy-first brand while also giving a rival more power over the customer journey. By reclaiming some of that interaction—especially within its own walled garden—Apple could enhance its own ad platform, surface more relevant app or service suggestions, and push more users toward Apple-native solutions.

Regulatory pressure is growing—and Apple knows it
The DOJ’s antitrust case against Google argues that the company’s payments to Apple stifle competition. While Apple isn’t the defendant, the scrutiny is real. If the courts force a breakup or renegotiation of default search deals, Apple may be compelled to offer users more choice—or develop its own solution. Preparing for that outcome isn’t just smart; it’s self-preservation.

AI gives Apple a new opportunity to leapfrog
Generative AI is changing how users find information. Instead of scrolling through pages of blue links, they now expect conversational answers, summarization, and context-aware responses. Apple doesn’t have to out-Google Google—it just needs to make Siri, Spotlight, and on-device intelligence good enough that users never feel the need to open a browser. Apple’s recent AI announcements, including on-device processing and large language model (LLM) integration into iOS, hint at exactly that direction.

Apple controls the interface—now it wants the query: When users swipe down on the iPhone home screen or ask Siri a question, Apple has an opportunity to intercept that intent. Today, many of those queries still route through Google. But with improvements to on-device AI and predictive suggestions, Apple can reduce that dependency. The more Apple can answer directly, the less valuable Google's default slot becomes.

AI search doesn’t need to be perfect—just good enough: Even a modestly capable AI assistant can satisfy many daily queries—like asking for directions, setting reminders, summarizing emails, or finding documents. Apple is betting that most users don’t care who powers the response, as long as it’s quick, private, and embedded. The integration of ChatGPT into iOS 18 (reportedly with user consent and processing controls) is one sign Apple is testing how AI can coexist alongside or replace traditional web results.

Apple is playing the long game on trust: Apple’s privacy stance is both a brand differentiator and a product principle. If it can deliver AI-powered search that doesn’t depend on user profiling or cloud-based data mining, it may win over users disillusioned by the surveillance-based ad models of rivals. Apple isn’t promising to know everything—it’s promising to know just enough, without knowing too much.

Apple doesn’t want to build a “Google killer.” It wants to make Google increasingly irrelevant. By embedding AI into every layer of its operating systems, Apple is laying the groundwork for a search experience that feels less like typing into a bar and more like having a conversation—with your phone, your watch, your car. The endgame isn’t control over search results. It’s control over user intent. If Apple can turn Spotlight and Siri into the first place people go to ask questions—not just about the web, but about their own lives—it can gradually pull attention away from Google without breaking the deal.

This strategy also gives Apple more room to experiment in private. Rather than launch a flashy “Apple Search” brand, the company can iterate quietly across devices and wait for the moment when user behavior shifts decisively toward AI-first discovery. That moment is coming faster than many expect. In decoupling its future from Google's search dominance, Apple isn’t just playing defense—it’s preparing to define the next era of personal information access, one invisible search at a time.