After serving Bing search results over the last few years, Apple has switched back to using Google for their search results needs in both iOS and their MAC operating system, TechCrunch reports. Both Google and Apple spokespersons confirmed this with Search Engine Land through email.
The search the web” results that you receive in both search interfaces will not be pointing to Bing any longer, but rather, Google. Back in 2014, Apple chose to drop Google results, switching to Bing. There was a deal between Apple and Google that was estimated to be worth $3 billion, and it’s not clear if this is part of the deal or not.
Here is a statement TechCrunch received from Apple:
“Switching to Google as the web search provider for Siri, Search within iOS and Spotlight on Mac will allow these services to have a consistent web search experience with the default in Safari. We have strong relationships with Google and Microsoft and remain committed to delivering the best user experience possible.”
It was reported that this started rolling out at 9 AM on September 25- in the US. The results are all encrypted on the iOS and Mac side, but once you move over to Google, Google will begin tracking search behavior.