Google Denies Drop in Search Traffic From Apple Devices

Google has issued a statement denying reports that its Search volume has declined on Apple devices.

The response comes after numerous press reports detailed testimony from Apple's Senior Vice President of Software and Services, Eddy Cue, during the remedies phase of the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.

Multiple outlets reported that Cue testified that search activity within Apple's Safari browser experienced a dip last month, a first in its history. He reportedly attributed this shift to users increasingly turning to AI tools. A widely cited quote from Cue states, "That has never happened in 22 years." While these reports focus on a Safari search dip, direct transcripts confirming whether "Google" searches specifically were cited as declining in Safari have not been widely available, though some interpretations have suggested this.


In response to these reports, Google released the following statement:

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Here's our statement on this morning's press reports about Search traffic.
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. We're excited to continue this innovation and look forward to sharing more at Google I/O.
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Google's statement emphasizes that it continues to observe "overall query growth in Search." Crucially for Apple users, the company specified this includes "an increase in total queries coming from Apple's devices and platforms."

The tech giant also noted that enhancements to Search are leading people to find it "more useful for more of their queries." According to Google, users are accessing Search "for new things and in new ways," citing browsers, the Google app, voice commands, and Google Lens as examples.


So how could both Apple's reported Safari dip and Google's claim of increased queries from Apple devices be accurate? It might come down to how each company is measuring and describing the data.

Part of the answer could lie in what exactly Cue meant by "Safari search" during his testimony. If he was referring to all Safari search activity globally, a drop in a major market where Google isn't the default—like China—could have pulled the overall number down. That wouldn't necessarily conflict with Google seeing a rise in search queries from Apple devices in regions where it's the dominant engine.

There's also the question of which devices are being counted. Cue may have been talking primarily about Safari searches on the iPhone, while Google's statement refers to all Apple platforms, including iPads and Macs. If search usage is growing on those devices, it could offset a drop on iPhone.

Another factor is how users are choosing to search. Cue reportedly focused on queries made inside the Safari browser. But Google highlighted access from "browsers or the Google app, using their voice or Google Lens." So even if fewer people are typing directly into Safari's address bar, they may simply be switching to the Google app, voice search, or other tools. That change in behavior could explain how both statements can be true at once.

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