Google Paid Apple $1B To Be iOS' Default Search Engine In 2014: Report

By Steve Pak, | January 21, 2016

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Google reportedly paid Apple about $1 billion in 2014 to make its iOS search bar the default option for iPhones and iPads. Public transcripts from an Oracle lawsuit against the search giant states that Google paid a percentage of the revenue earned from searches on smartphones, tablets, and other iOS devices.  

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Bloomberg reported that transcripts include a quote from an Oracle lawyer. Terms of the contract between the two tech companies are unclear.

Oracle is suing Google for reportedly using unlicensed Java software to build its Android OS.

Rumors that Apple has benefited from Google's search bar on iOS devices have existed for years. That includes it allegedly receiving over $1 billion in Google search referrals in 2013.

Last week Oracle attorney Annette Hurst stated in court that a Google witness shared that the revenue share was once 34 percent, according to Apple Insider. However, it is unclear is the figure that Google kept or paid to Apple.     

Hurst also revealed that Google's Android operating system earned $31 billion in revenue, according to The Verge. It also raked in $22 billion in profit.

Google asked that Hurst's statement be removed from the case's official records, but Judge William Alsup allowed it. The tech giants asked that the court seal and censor the case's transcript because it could affect future deals they made.

Google accused Hurst of sharing private information and documents that only attorneys should know of. It argued that publically sharing the non-public financial information could affect its business.    

Apple Insider points out that Apple CEO Tim Cook has often criticized Google for earning money from its users' personal data. That includes data from Web searchers.

Last year at an event Cook stated that people like Google's free services. However, he argued the company should not sell people's email, search history, and family photos to earn ad revenue.

Apple does not support businesses or products that collect users' personal data. The company's iOS apps and services store user information, but it is protected and not sold.

Google won its case versus Oracle, but it was overturned in appeals courts and the Supreme Court refused to review the lawsuit. The sides are debating how much Oracle should receive in damages.

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