Why is Apple building its own search engine? Here’s what you need to know ? https://t.co/S1udufNDd3 pic.twitter.com/i3ihQ5iR7h

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

How Apple is quietly building out its own search engine, hidden in plain sight when you swipe right from the iPhone’s home screen.
Especially important now that its lucrative deal with Google is in the DoJ’s crosshairs. @FT with @PatrickMcGee_ https://t.co/dylhGL8KTS

— Tim Bradshaw (@tim) October 28, 2020

Apple develops alternative to Google search https://t.co/ciYnsOR38X

— Financial Times (@FT) October 28, 2020

Apple is notoriously secretive about its internal projects but there is growing evidence that it is working to build a rival to Google’s search engine https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/VCJfbX1A8O

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

Building a true rival to Google’s search engine could take years. But with $81bn in the bank, Apple can afford to play the long game https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/ycrvWqRAk8

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

Apple is developing its own rival to Google search https://t.co/VuOHDThrYT

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) October 28, 2020

FT: Evidence is growing that Apple is going to mount an attack on Google search.https://t.co/4tJ0JRIIYm

— Tim Stenovec (@timsteno) October 28, 2020

$AAPL | Apple Develops Alternative To Google Search - FT https://t.co/gcBJaP2V5B

— LiveSquawk (@LiveSquawk) October 28, 2020

1. DoJ forces Apple to cancel its default search engine contract with Google.

2. Apple unveils its own search offering in iOS 17.

3. DoJ sues Apple for monopolizing search on its own platform.

4. Who profits? https://t.co/bAEnFt6N2z

— Kontra (@counternotions) October 28, 2020

Not surprised?

Apple develops alternative to Google search #Tech #Apple https://t.co/A1OgfJ3L7K via @FinancialTimes pic.twitter.com/PneCxEzfq0

— Theo - 劉䂀曼 (@psb_dc) October 28, 2020

Google also has an enormous advantage when it comes to data. Will Apple be able to catch up? https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/7Ph1RD22dG

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

But things may not go to plan. Apple has tried, and failed, to rival Google before. Apple Maps first launched in 2012, but was so prone to errors that a top lieutenant was forced to resign https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/dvGj8dDdUf

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

In a little-noticed change to the latest version of its iPhone operating system, iOS 14, Apple has begun to show its own search results and link directly to websites when users type queries from its home screen https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/IEIVRvO2vK

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

Apple’s lucrative partnership with Google as the iPhone’s default search tool has come under scrutiny from US antitrust authorities. Developing its own search technology would give Apple an alternative https://t.co/jrd9NTPGA9 pic.twitter.com/QSLnr4Hfgc

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

Experts also point to a flurry of activity from Applebot, the iPhone maker’s once-obscure web crawler, which is used to build the vast database of online material that forms the foundation of any search engine https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/PlgpBhsaCq

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020

Most of Google’s smaller rivals license their index from Microsoft’s Bing. Apple is one of the few companies with the resources to index the web from scratch — and it historically prefers to control the components of its products https://t.co/j3OJkFidJn pic.twitter.com/TuPCbrXZfr

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 28, 2020