Here's how much Google paid to be the search default in 2021

Google paid large sums of money to be the default search engine on many different products. Namely Apple products like the iPhone. It’s a startling revelation for many that’s come to light in the past month as part of Google’s ongoing antitrust trial. Since the trial began in late September, Google has been grilled about its potentially monopolistic practices with online search. And as a result of that questioning, it’s now been made public that Google has spent well over a decade cutting exclusive deals to lock out competition in the search market.

For Google these deals were far more lucrative than what it cost the company to secure its place as the top dog in search. But the Department of Justice sees this as an illegal tactic. One that could cost Google more than money in the future. Apple isn’t the only company Google paid to lock in a search engine default. But it is the company that Google paid the most money to. And that’s understandable given Apple’s popularity. Not to mention Google’s desire to prevent Apple from creating its own search engine. For Google that was worth $18 billion (initially thought to be $10 billion annually). But the total sum from 2021 is actually significantly higher.

Google paid a total of $26 billion in 2021 to be the default search engine on devices

A new report from Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen details that while Apple may have gained the largest portion of Google’s payments, the entire amount Google paid to companies in 2021 adds up to $26 billion. As mentioned earlier, Google likely made that money back hand over fist from ads. Search is Google’s biggest money maker after all and being the default on so many different devices surely has its benefits.

The exact amount Nylen says is $26.3 billion. An amount that’s more than triple what Microsoft paid to buy Zenimax Media that same year. And all just so Google could be the default search engine on your phone or tablet.