When it comes to using the iPhone, there are several browsers to choose from, but the vast majority flock to Chrome or Safari. It’s a competition that has intensified amid the complicated relationship between Apple and Google.
Apple’s latest terrifying attack ad does nothing to complicate that relationship. While it’s not obviously telling people to stop using Chrome, it’s a fairly blatant jab at Google’s browser for the amount of tracking cookies it uses – claiming that Safari is “a browser that’s actually private”.
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why now
Currently, 30% of iPhone users use Chrome as their default browser, and Google wants to increase that to 50%, according to a report by The Information. That would equate to an additional 300 million iOS devices, and at a time when keeping people loyal to apps is the most direct route to revenue, Apple doesn’t want to lose that majority control over iPhone browser usage.
So it seems the company has come up with a plan to take advantage of its competition’s two key usage issues:
- Chrome Hungry for Tracking Cookies: You’ve seen it all over the internet – pop-ups asking if you accept third-party cookies. Once you go to your Chrome browser’s privacy settings, you’re probably overwhelmed by the many thousands of sites tracking your whereabouts on the Internet. Even worse, according to Google, they should be around until 2025 Privacy Sandbox report.
- Incognito mode is not private: This is one of the few different Chrome features where Mountain View says it cares about privacy, but its actions are a little different. For example, Google promises security in its incognito mode, but then had to admit that this privacy shield isn’t really that private. $5 billion class action lawsuit.
These are things that Safari will stamp out right off the bat – including preventing cross-site tracking by default and hiding your IP address (provided you have an iCloud+ account on it). This makes this fertile ground for Apple to advertise on and raise concerns about its main competition.
Google’s answer
We’ve asked Google for a response to this latest ad campaign, and that response doesn’t necessarily address the issues Apple has quite openly hinted at here.
A Google spokesperson told Tom’s Guide that: “Chrome is designed to keep your data safe by default and to ensure that users can control when and how their Chrome data is used to personalize their web browsing. We believe users should always be in control, which is why we’ve built easy-to-use privacy and security settings right into Chrome.”
Will people ditch Chrome?
The browser war with the iPhone is very much Apple’s to lose, rather than Google’s to win, and the Cupertino team is hitting hard on Chrome’s weak point here. And from the perspective of someone who used to work in advertising, this dystopian setting is a pretty effective way to get the message across.
Current Chrome users may not be blind to these cookies, but they may have come to terms with them and the resulting risk. New iPhone users and those who weren’t necessarily aware of how much they learned about you through Chrome browsing can scare them into switching.
We’ll follow up with Google to get their comment and reach out to security experts to get more context. Stay tuned.
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