Microsoft tried to convince Apple to adopt Bing as its default search engine

Documents released as part of Google's antitrust case against the US Department of Justice (via CNBC) have revealed Microsoft's ongoing attempts to persuade Apple to adopt Bing as the default search engine for Safari or even acquire it.

Here's What We Know

According to the documents, Microsoft approached Apple on numerous occasions, starting in 2009 and ending in 2020, offering to replace Google Bing as the default search engine in Safari.

Despite Microsoft's repeated proposals, Apple has consistently rejected them, citing concerns about the quality of Bing's search compared to Google. The documents show that in 2018, Microsoft not only proposed making Bing the default search engine, but also offered to sell Bing to Apple or create a joint venture around the search engine. Apple also rejected these offers.

Google pays billions of dollars to remain the primary search engine on Apple devices. The corporation argues that Microsoft's repeated attempts to get Apple to use Bing show that the search engine market is competitive, not monopolised.

Source: MacRumors