Google is quite far ahead in the Search industry, and it has been introducing new features every now and then to keep users from slipping toward the competition. Most recently, the company introduced AI Overviews in Search, which have been controversial given the hallucinating results it had to endure. It has been shared in a new report that Google initially blocked Apple users from getting the AI Overviews feature as it wanted users to make a switch from Safari to Chrome or other browsers.

Google wanted Safari users to feel left out of its AI Overviews feature but ultimately decided to end the discrimination

Google is part of an ongoing Justice Department Investigation, and the company’s relationship with Apple is also part of the mix. The Information reports that Google aims to reduce its dependency on Apple and its Safari browser so that the company would not have to pay hefty sums of money. We reported earlier that Google paid Apple as much as $20 billion to keep its status as the default search engine on the Safari browser.

Google wants to change users’ preferences on Apple products, and to be fair, it will be a rather difficult task as only some users would jump to Chrome or other browsers. Google believes that it can naturally move Safari users to a new platform that would not cost the company billions. The two companies currently have a revenue-sharing agreement that gives Apple a cut of the advertising revenue that Google conducts in Safari. Henceforth, Google would have to pay Apple less if it manages to switch Safari users to Chrome or other browsers.

Google executives considered having its new AI Overviews feature, which shows AI-generated responses to search queries, appear on its mobile apps but not on Safari, people who have worked on the product said. But Google ultimately decided against that move.

However, it would be very difficult for Google to convince Safari users, and to make it happen, the company even initially blocked Apple users from getting the new AI Overview features. The company wanted users to install Chrome or other browsers and check out what they would be missing in Safari. However, the AI Overview feature did not make a major mark as it was part of a hallucinating controversy. The report further states that Google ultimately ended up offering the AI features to all users, including Safari.

Google has found it hard to convince Safari users to download the Chrome browser on Apple devices, but it has not been very fruitful. The company continues to share its revenue with Apple for various conducts, and we do not see this changing in the near future. Would you replace Safari with Chrome on your iPhone? Let us know which features in Safari are restricting you to make a jump.