Google is replacing Microsoft’s Bing as the default provider of Apple’s web searches from Siri, Search inside iOS and Spotlight on Mac, according to TechCrunch. Consistency is said to be the major reason that Apple ditches Bing for Google search results in Siri and Spotlight.
“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,” reads an Apple statement. “We have strong relationships with Google and Microsoft and remain committed to delivering the best user experience possible.”
Safari on Mac and iOS devices has already been using Google search as the default provider, likely due to the deal worth billions paid by Google to Apple for that (though Apple did not revealed more details). Now starting from Monday, Apple customers who ask Siri for information on iOS and macOS devices will get results provided by Google. Siri will use Google’s Search API to access to ranked search results. The Search inside of iOS (previously known as Spotlight) has changed from Bing to Google too. In a word, the Safari, Siri and Search will together use Google as the default web search provider.
Though Google has controlled general internet link and videos (video results from Siri will come directly from YouTube), the web image results from Siri will still come from Bing.
A Microsoft spokesperson made the comment when asked about the change on iOS:
“We value our relationship with Apple and look forward to continuing to partner with them in many ways, including on Bing Image Search in Siri, to provide the best experience possible for our customers”. He added that Bing still powers the search experiences on Yahoo (Verizon), AOL and Amazon, as well as the multi-lingual abilities of Twitter.
Anyhow, customers can still switch to their preferred option if they wish. Will you stick to Bing or just use the default search provider? Tell us your choice and reasons.