A multi-billion dollar deal has Google paying Apple $8 billion a year to have like default machine search on the iPhone service Google Search.
That deal is currently under scrutiny, as Google is in the middle of a lawsuit to determine whether it violated antitrust laws. If the US District Judge Amit Mehta finds that Google violated antitrust laws, it may terminate its agreement with Apple.
If it does, both Apple and Google stand to lose billions. Apple would lose the $8 billion it receives from Google each year, and Google would lose $25 billion in ad revenue that the search engine is said to bring to iOS.
As it turns out, behind the scenes Apple is looking for a new deal for a potential replacement for Google's search engine. The 2020, Apple and Microsoft reportedly held exploratory talks about Apple acquiring Bing. The deal never went through, as Apple didn't believe Bing could compete with the quality and capabilities of Google Search.
Interestingly, in June 2020 Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi recommended that Apple take control of the search engine DuckDuckGo. A privacy search engine that has a very small share (0,71%) of the global search engine market.
The Bloomberg he says that in addition to its secret exploratory talks with Microsoft to buy Bing, Apple was also in talks with DuckDuckGo about replacing Google Search.
DuckDuckGo's focus on privacy fits perfectly with Apple's focus on privacy for the iPhone.
Talks between Apple and DuckDuckGo were revealed during the US Treasury Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google last Wednesday.
