Google searches in Apple’s Safari fall for first time in 22 years

Searches on Apple’s Safari browser declined for the first time last month, and Apple’s senior vice president of services Eddy Cue blamed AI. “That has never happened in 22 years,” according to Cue.

“People are using AI,” Cue testified Wednesday during the DOJ’s antitrust trial against Google, calling it a fundamental shift that’s eating into traditional search’s dominance.

Update: Google comments. Google, likely spooked by Alphabet’s stock plummeting, put out a statement emphasizing its “query growth,” without ever mentioning Safari specifically. Here is that statement:

“We continue to see overall query growth in Search. That includes an increase in total queries coming from Apple’s devices and platforms. More generally, as we enhance Search with new features, people are seeing that Google Search is more useful for more of their queries — and they’re accessing it for new things and in new ways, whether from browsers or the Google app, using their voice or Google Lens.”

• Skeptical of Google’s statement? I am. Here are a few reasons Google’s statement may be factually correct but also misleading:
  • Google shifted the focus to overall growth (which is likely correct), but doesn’t refute any of the reports that were specifically about Safari searches declining.
  • Google’s mention of Apple’s devices and platforms is incredibly vague – it could be talking about apps or any other non-Safari sources. Also, Google doesn’t offer any concrete data showing the increase in query volume over time.
  • Google pointed out that search is evolving. Right. Search has been evolving for decades. So I guess whatever losses that totally aren’t happening (wink, wink) are being offset by Google’s new and innovative features like voice and Lens.
  • Also, isn’t query growth kind of a vanity metric? I wonder – when Google links to its own search results via AI Overviews and in other search features – does that count as a query? And is query growth now more important at Google than “search quality”? Could people be searching more because it is becoming more difficult for them to find answers and content to satisfy their needs or wants?

AI search rising. Apple is exploring a revamp of Safari to prioritize AI-powered search engines, Cue testified.

• AI search tools like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic are being seriously evaluated, though they aren’t yet ready to be defaults, Cue said.
• “There is much greater potential. They’re attacking the problem in a different way,” he said.

Why we care. AI has forever changed search. The decline in Safari searches could signal a behavioral shift that you shouldn’t ignore – because it could have massive implications for your future search and discoverability strategies.

Yes, but. Despite the excitement around AI, Google remains the default search engine for Safari. Cue said he’s lost sleep over the risk of losing the Google deal, which at an estimated $19 billion is still the most lucrative arrangement Apple has.

And another yes, but. Let’s not forget that Google is also an AI search engine – AI Overviews are seen by 1.5 billion users a month and sit on top of many of the 5 trillion searches conducted annually on Google. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude combined remain barely a blip in terms of search share. You’d be well advised not to plan Google’s funeral before it dies.

The big picture. Apple offers ChatGPT via Siri. It could add Google’s Gemini this year.

• Cue confirmed a behind-the-scenes “bake-off” between Google and OpenAI last year – one Google lost due to unacceptable terms.
• Even if AI search tools lack strong indexes, Cue said their features are “so much better that people will switch” from standard search to AI search.

Zoom out. AI is a paradigm shift, similar to the advent of the iPhone, Cue said:

• “You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds.”

More coverage. See Techmeme.