Google

Apple’s Google search payment – the billions of dollars Google pays to be the default search engine on Apple devices – is likely safe for years to come, say analysts. The controversial payment is thought to contribute as much as 3% of Apple’s pretax profit, but is potentially under threat from antitrust action.

Neither company has ever disclosed the sum, which Apple lumps into its Services category without splitting it out, but one of the more recent estimates suggested that it would amount to between $18B and $20B this year …

The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) details monopolistic practices from Apple and Google app stores in a new study. The report, Towards Regulating App Stores, from ADIF and The Quantum Hub, mentions global regulatory actions targeting both tech giants control over the mobile app ecosystem.

Ad tech companies share your online behavior and location with advertisers an average of 747 times a day in the US, and 376 times a day in Europe, according to a report by a civil liberties group. It describes the practice as the biggest privacy breach in the world.

The report says Google is the biggest offender, using a process called real-time bidding (RTB) to let advertisers target internet users by browsing behavior and locations …

For years now, Google hasn’t seemed particularly interested in the tablet market, but yesterday the company announced that it’s working on what might be the company’s first real iPad alternative – a new Pixel tablet due for launch sometime next year.

Apple getting some serious iPad competition could be just the thing we need to finally spur the company into taking iPadOS more seriously, and having the software catch up with the hardware …

Google on Wednesday held the opening event of Google I/O, the company’s annual conference for developers. During the event, Google announced multiple new features and technologies that will be available not only for Android users but also for iOS and macOS users. This includes immersive maps, multisearch, enhanced video calling, personalized ads, and much more.

Read on for a roundup of what Google announced today at I/O.

During Google I/O 2022, Apple was indirectly referenced in a not-so-subtle jab over its lack of RCS support for iPhone users. RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is the modern upgrade to SMS texting that Apple leapfrogged with iMessage over a decade ago.

The UK antitrust body that last year decided that Apple and Google have too much power is itself set to be denied the legal powers it expected to be given.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expected to be granted what is known as statutory powers, but it’s today being reported that the government has shelved this plan …

We learned last month that Apple was tricked into releasing personal data to hackers, after they posed as law enforcement officials with emergency data requests. A follow-up report reveals that some of this data was used to sexually extort minors.

The latest report also sheds light on how the hackers were able to fool Apple and other tech giants, including Facebook, Google, Snap, Twitter, and Discord …

A new Japanese antitrust report into the smartphone market has raised the possibility of new legislation intended to reduce the dominance of Apple and Google. It calls for multiple app stores for each platform.

Additionally, it suggests that the preinstallation of Apple and Google’s own web browsers on smartphones means that competitor apps are disadvantaged …

Google has announced plans for blocking cross-app tracking on Android phones, following Apple’s lead on iPhones, claims a new report today.

However, there are a number of problems with the report, suggesting it may be a case of ‘The headline giveth, and the small print taketh away’ …

South Korea has stated that it is still not satisfied with Apple’s App Store plans to comply with a new antitrust law requiring developers to be able to choose third-party payment platforms.

The regulator has also expressed concern at Google’s plans, which include just a 4% reduction in the company’s app store commission if a developer uses a different payment processor …

Apple’s ecosystem is perhaps the most valuable asset the company possesses, after its brand, so eyebrows were raised when Google yesterday announced plans to replicate many of the key elements of that ecosystem.

While some Apple fans were outraged at what they saw as blatant copying of Apple features, my view is that this is good news for Android and iPhone users alike …

It’s an open secret that Google pays Apple a multibillion-dollar sum each year to be the default search engine on Apple devices. In other words, the search engine that is used when you simply type your search term into the combined address/search bar.

Neither company discloses the amount, leading to various estimates over the years. But a new class action lawsuit may reveal the actual sums …

Apple has been fined €10M ($11.3M) in Italy for what competition authorities say is the misuse of customer data. Google has been fined the same amount for the same thing.

It follows a $225M fine in the same country earlier this week for price fixing between Apple and Amazon …

The UK’s Supreme Court has thrown out a Google Safari workaround class action lawsuit in which iPhone owners could have received as much as £500 ($675) each.

The case alleged that Google breached the privacy of iPhone owners by secretly installing web cookies even after users had blocked them in Safari’s settings …

I’ve been using Google’s new flagship Pixel 6 phone for a little over a week now. It’s been quite a wild ride, if I do say so myself. Like I said in my first entry, I’ve owned a handful of Pixels and other Android devices over the years. But the Pixel 6 continues to surprise me in delightful ways that other devices running Google’s operating system haven’t. In this entry, I want to focus specifically on Material You, Google’s new design framework for allowing users to customize nearly every aspect of their Android experience.

Apple’s ad business has grown dramatically since the company’s App Tracking Transparency rules came into effect, says a new report.

The rules made it more difficult to target specific interest groups through third-party ad networks like those owned by Google and Facebook, making Apple’s own ad business far more valuable. But some suggest this is because the iPhone maker breaks its own privacy rules …