According to a recent report by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, Google paid £1.2 billion (or around $1.5 billion) across 2019 to secure its place as the default search engine in devices across the market, the "substantial majority of which" was paid to Apple.

It points out a lot of issues, like ecosystem lock-in and potential abuse of user data, but it also makes a few more specific claims regarding the anti-competitive nature of Google's flagship Search product, arguing that "Google’s extensive default positions across devices and browsers, and in particular on almost all mobile devices in the UK, act as a barrier to expansion for other search engines." Furthermore, the Authority explicitly believes that arrangements like the one it has with Apple are against consumer interests: "Apple’s existing arrangements with Google create a significant barrier to entry and expansion for rivals affecting competition between search engines on mobiles.".

The report recommends that these kinds of arrangements for default settings be restricted by a new Digital Markets Unit agency, and that setup screens providing customers with a choice of search engine — like Google has done in Europe — would further enhance competition.

While the report doesn't appear to recommend action like a fine (yet), we might see a similar search engine setup screen come to iPhones and Android devices in the UK, as they did for Android phones in the EU.

In the meantime, ponder the fact that Google didn't just spend almost $1.5 billion to be the default search engine on a bunch of devices in the UK — doing that was almost certainly a profitable decision?