Google Maps and YouTube are no longer bundled as default apps on iPhones and iPads, but there's one big place on Apple's devices where Google is still the default option: the Safari search bar. Microsoft's Bing, Yahoo (also Bing-powered), and the privacy-minded DuckDuckGo are all included as options, but Google has been the default for as long as iPhones have existed.
That may change next year according to a report from The Information (paywall). Apple and Google's search agreement is reportedly set to expire soon, and both Microsoft and Yahoo are already said to be talking with Apple Internet Software and Services SVP Eddy Cue about becoming Safari's default search option. This isn't the first time we've heard about Yahoo's desire to replace Google in iOS, and it's no surprise that Microsoft wants a piece of that pie too.
The Information's report also speculates that Apple could switch to other non-Google search engines in countries outside the US, as Mozilla did for Firefox when its agreement with Google ended earlier this month.
We've got plenty of evidence that Apple would be willing to move away from Google Search. Apple ditched Google Maps for a homegrown mapping service back in 2012 even though its data wasn't quite up to the task, and new features like Spotlight search suggestions already use Bing instead of Google to return Web results. Apple also uses Yahoo data in its Stocks app. Whatever happens, we may find out about it in the next few months—the report says that Google's search deal with Apple is set to expire "in early 2015."
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